A Tangled Web
by moonjat54
Summary: 5-0 runs into a trap.  Can the rest of the team get to Steve before his kidnappers deliver him to their client?
1. Chapter 1

**A Tangled Web**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I do borrow its characters every now and then for my own pleasure.**

**Happy New Year. My muse finally was hit with some inspiration and I have a new story to tell. I am not trying to deal with any of the show's current storylines but will make references to events that have happened in season 2. I hope you enjoy this…there is definitely some Steve whump.**

Chapter 1

"I hate babysitting," Danny William's voice buzzed in Steve McGarrett's earpiece.

"Patience Danny, we have a job to do," Steve responded softly as he sat at a table against the wall in The Trade Winds, an upscale restaurant in Honolulu. His eyes remained glued on a table several feet away where his assignment was enjoying dinner with a friend and two young ladies. "The Governor gave us this job and we have to see it through."

Five days ago, Governor Denning had summoned Steve to his office and informed him that there had been a kidnapping threat discovered that involved the son of the French delegate to the UN. The young man was vacationing in Hawaii with a companion that the boy's family had chosen to keep an eye on him and the State Department feared that the boy was targeted to be used as a lever in an upcoming important UN vote. With Washington concerned that the French were a swing vote on this issue, they had insisted that Denning put his best people on the job of protecting Michael Tremain. And that had led the 5-0 team to become babysitters.

"That does not mean I have to enjoy warming a bar stool with a glass of water instead of a beer," Danny grumbled from the opposite side of the room where he sat at a long polished bar.

"You could have ordered pineapple juice," Steve suggested with a smirk.

"You are not funny Steven," came the growled response in his ear.

"Hey…..would you prefer to be out here, watching the parking lot?" Chin's voice broke in on the communication link.

"How about out here on the back deck? It's beginning to drizzle out," Kono chimed in from outside. "I'll trade places with any of you."

"Nope, rookies get the damp jobs," Danny quipped.

"I'm not a rookie anymore," Kono shot back.

"Cut the chatter," Steve ordered quietly but couldn't help smiling at the banter. He liked how the feeling of family was returning to his team.

"You know…I could be home with my wife," Chin said with a sigh.

"Michael is only going to be here three more days. Life will return to normal after that," Steve reminded them.

"Lori sure picked a great time to be assisting Agent Morrison and ICE on the big island," Kono said plaintively. "If she were here, she could be the newbie out here in the rain."

Steve would have suggested silence again if at that moment a table of ten hadn't gotten to their feet, blocking his view of Tremain's table.

"Danny, I'm blocked…what is happening?" he said tersely as he caught a glimpse of Michael standing up as well.

"Looks like Michael is planning to leave," Danny responded. "I'm on him." He slipped off the bar stool and moved towards the foursome only to have his path blocked by a waitress with a large tray of food. As he detoured around her and another table he saw that Tremain's party had left the table.

"Damn it. Steve he gave me the slip," he said urgently.

McGarrett had been on the move, trying to get past the slow moving group from the large table. He tried to head to the exit, expecting to find the French boy's group. He alerted Chin and Kono to keep their eyes open and suddenly bumped into Paul Martine, Michael's companion. The man was in his early thirties and had not been happy to have McGarrett's team usurp his control his charge.

"Commander…..Michael wanted to walk on the beach. He went out through the kitchen. He would not listen when I tried to stop him," the man announced nervously as he pointed to the kitchen doors.

"Stay here Martine," Steve ordered and moved hurriedly towards the kitchen. "Did you get that Danny? Follow me."

"Copy that," Danny replied as he saw Steve disappear through the kitchen doors. Dodging patrons and waitresses, he made his way across the room.

"I'm heading that way," Chin announced as he exited his car and hurried along the length of the building towards the side entrance to the kitchen.

Steve stepped out into the warm drizzle and looked towards the beach. He could see a couple walking several yards down the sand. Without hesitation, he headed after them while scanning the area for any threat to the pair ahead of him. It appeared that they were alone on the beach.

"He's on the beach," Steve relayed to the team as he increased his pace to a jog. "Michael…..it really isn't a good idea to wander off," he called out.

As he closed the distance, moonlight broke through the clouds and Steve slowed, sensing something wasn't right. The pair had stopped and as they turned to him, McGarrett could see it wasn't Michael Tremain. Both the man and woman had guns and they fired before he could reach for his own weapon. A sharp, needle-like object struck his neck and as he reached up to brush it free, a second one imbedded itself just under his other ear.

Collapsing on the wet sand, Steve's world went dark just as Kono's voice announced that Michael was on the deck with one of the girls.

Danny burst out of the kitchen as Chin rounded the corner from the front. Both men headed for the beach as they saw Steve fall to the sand. They were too far away as his assailants rushed to him and a black van roared down the beach, halting next to the shooters. They picked up Steve and dumped him inside the van and closing doors, the van kicking up sand as it sped away. Danny and Chin ran after it, firing at the vehicle but unable to stop it or get a look at the plate number.

Out of breath, they stopped at the spot where Steve had fallen.

"Kono, keep Michael in the restaurant. Steve has been taken," Chin contacted his cousin. "And make sure you have Martine also."

"Roger that. Wait….what do you mean that Steve's been taken?" she asked anxiously. On the deck she took hold of Michael's arm and ushered him into the bar area. The girl followed them inside.

Danny bent down to pick something out of the sand and straightened up holding a dart gingerly by the feathers with two fingers. His eyes met Chin's grimly.

"Tranquilizer," he said harshly.

"They had to be close enough to know who they were shooting," Chin commented seriously. The meaning of that statement hung in the air between them.

"Yep," Danny nodded as his stomach flipped sickly. "They weren't after Michael, they wanted Steve."

"He was set up," Chin agreed.

"Guys…..what is going on?" Kono's voice rang in both their ears.

"It was a trap," Chin answered.

"What?"

"Steve was tranquilized and taken away in a van. We were too late to stop it," Chin explained.

"We couldn't get a plate on the van," Danny added. "You have Michael and Martine, don't you?"

"I do," she confirmed.

"Good, Martine's the one who sent Steve out to the beach. I have a few pointed questions for him," Danny growled. "We are on our way."

"I've put them in the manager's office for privacy," Kono answered. "We are waiting for you." The steely determination in Kono's voice reassured Danny.

Glancing down the beach at the tire tracks that indicated the van's trail, Danny let out a sigh and looked back at Chin.

"Someone went to a lot of trouble to set this up," he stated.

"We thought Nicholas Downing was here to grab Tremain, he might still be our prime suspect," Chin said thoughtfully, holding out an evidence bag for Danny to drop the dart in. Closing it after he did, they headed back to The Trade Winds. "Could be the same kidnapper, just different target."

"Martine has a hell of a lot of explaining to do," Danny said tightly. "If Downing engineered this snatch then he has a client waiting for delivery that is his style. And that means we had better hurry…Steve doesn't have much time."

End chapter

**So…what do you think? Am I on to something or should I give my muse a new assignment? Please send feedback. Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I wish I did, I wish I did…I wish I did.**

**I am humbled by the response the first chapter received. You have blown me away. I only hope that I can deliver what you all want. Here is the next chapter.**

Chapter 2

Danny charged into the manager's office like an angry pit-bull. Every second that ticked by was going to make it more difficult to find and rescue Steve. Martine had been the one to send Steve to the beach; Danny had heard it and he would make the man tell him everything he knew.

Paul Martine sat in a chair in front of the manager's desk and he flinched nervously as Danny stalked into the room. He shifted his gaze to the older Hawaiian who entered behind Williams but Chin Ho Kelly was just as stern looking as the other man. Swallowing hard, Martine rose to his feet, his hands held out defensively in front of him.

"I don't know anything," he stammered, his French accent thick with fear.

"You lied to Steve," Danny accused, stabbing a finger at the man. Martine was only a few inches taller than Danny but he appeared to shrink in the face of the detective's fury. "Who told you to do that? Who set this trap for Steve? Give me a name."

From his place on the couch against the wall, Michael Tremain looked at the others in confusion. He only knew he had asked Paul to create a diversion and give him some time alone with the pretty girl sitting next to him. Making it only to the back deck, they had been instantly confronted by the lovely Officer Kalakaua, who had rushed them back inside the bar. The woman had not shared details, just ordered the couple to stay put in this office and then returned shortly with Paul. It was very clear now that Martine had done more than just create a diversion; he had been involved in something more serious.

"Paul, did you do this? Did you lie to the Commander?" Michael asked in concern.

"He sure did. He was the one who told Steve you were on the beach and then someone took Steve," Danny responded angrily. He turned back to Martine glowering. "I want to know who told you to send Steve to the beach and I want to know now."

"I…..I was only trying to give Michael some time alone with his lady," Paul choked out, still denying he knew more.

"Don't lie to us," Kono hissed from behind him.

"You listen to me," Danny snarled as he moved right into Martine's face. "There were two people waiting on that beach and they expected Steve to be there. This was not a coincidence; they knew who they were kidnapping. You were the one who set things in motion and I want you to tell us now before I lose my temper."

Paul looked at the anger simmering in Danny's eyes and could not help wondering how much angrier the man could get. A deep sigh escaped him.

"I…I do not know the name of the man who told me to send the Commander outside," he admitted slowly. "I received a phone call yesterday; a man offered me $50,000 in American money to send Commander McGarrett out onto the beach tonight. He never said what they planned to do," he stated as he crumpled back into the chair and hid his face in his hands. "I never thought they would harm him."

"So you thought that for that kind of money, they just wanted to chat?" Danny said sarcastically. "How did you know this would not put Michael in danger?"

"He promised me that Michael would be fine," Paul answered quickly, raising his head. The cold contempt in the blonde man's eyes made him shiver.

"Why didn't you inform us about this call?" Chin enquired. "How could you believe Michael was safe?"

"The man assured me Michael was in no danger. He said….he said this was all about Commander McGarrett. He knew our plans, he knew about this restaurant. I was warned to tell no one or he would know and then Michael would be taken or killed. I believed him," Paul whined. "I had to do as I was told." He glanced between the three 5-0 members, praying they would understand.

"The money offer didn't hurt either I am sure," Danny said bitterly. "Give us your phone."

"My phone?"

"We need to trace the call. We will also need access to your bank accounts in case the money is actually paid," Danny ordered.

"Do you think he might have lied to about paying Paul?" Michael asked.

"It wouldn't surprise us. If he lied there is not much your friend can do about it," Chin replied as he took Martine's phone.

"Half the money has been deposited," Paul said in a small voice.

"Good," Danny said, pleased that they might actually catch a break and have a trail to follow.

"Then am I safe? Was the reason I was threatened only a ploy to take Commander McGarrett?" the twenty-two year old asked with a touch of hope in his voice. He had liked the leader of the 5-0 task force but he desperately hoped the shadow was finally lifted from his vacation.

"We don't know Michael," Kono said quietly. "We can't be sure the threat against you is fake, we must continue to protect you. Taking the Boss might just have been an added bonus for this man."

"Where's the other girl?" Danny demanded suddenly, looking around.

"I couldn't find her when I went to get Martine," Kono answered. "She didn't go to the deck with Michael and Maya."

"Sheila was angry that I asked Maya to sneak out with me," Michael explained. "I thought she would stay with Paul."

"She must have left the restaurant in the confusion. We need to talk to her," Danny decided.

"I don't know much about her, just her name and that she's a yoga instructor. We met two days ago on the hotel's beach," the French boy shrugged. "She was fun so I asked her to dinner tonight."

"Her last name is Keone," Maya spoke up. "At least that's what she told me. She said she had just moved here six weeks ago from Maui."

"We'll dig deeper, thanks," Chin said looking up from the cell phone. "Danny, let's get back to headquarters so I can follow this call history better."

"Then I can start tracing the money," Kono added. She smiled apologetically at the handsome young Frenchman. "I am afraid you will all have to come with us, we will have more questions I am sure."

"I understand," Michael said earnestly. He looked firmly at Paul, who looked ill and offered no resistance to the order to go to 5-0 headquarters. "Paul and I will do whatever we can to help find Commander McGarrett." He got to his feet and held out a hand to Maya. It looked like he would get some additional time with the pretty girl who had been giving him surfing lessons. Kono had suggested Maya Paikuli to give Michael surfing lessons when he had requested it. She knew that the young woman was trustworthy and also a good instructor.

"I'm going to have to call the Governor and apprise him of the situation," Danny sighed, dreading the thought. "We may need additional resources if this was Nicholas Downing who set this trap up."

"And we will need help finding who his buyer might be," Chin said grimly.

"Come on, the clock is ticking," Danny growled and led the way out. He chafed at the delay that was necessary before they could go out and find Steve. Running around in the city with no leads would not help them find his partner and would waste precious time. But every instinct was pulling for him to go out on that beach and follow those tire tracks and see how far they would take him even though he knew there was no way to follow the van once it left the beach. He had to follow procedure.

Chin had chauffeured the French group to the restaurant, so he directed the remaining three people back to his Traverse and headed back to 5-0 headquarters. Kono got into the Camaro with Danny, all ready working her tablet, trying to gain more information on Sheila Keone.

"Sorry I lost Sheila," she murmured, not looking up.

"Not your fault Kono. You had Michael and Martine, you couldn't leave them alone to search for her," Danny answered as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. The simple act of moving the car seat forward had angered him, an additional reminder of Steve's absence. "You weren't the one to lose Steve."

"And that wasn't your fault Danny," Kono responded quietly.

End chapter.

**I hope I have set up the situation a bit more. We have a mystery on our hands. Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. That is so sad to admit but it is the truth.**

**Thank you so much for the support you have given my story. Let's see what is going on with Steve, shall we?**

Chapter 3

Steve McGarrett slowly regained consciousness, his head pounding like an off-beat bell. Cracking his eyelids open, he observed the dimly lit, concrete block room he occupied. He was seated in a metal chair and he could see his wrists were encased in metal shackles. An attempt to move his legs led to the discovery that his ankles were likewise immobile and a leather strap was across his chest, holding him upright. A surge of anger had him yank at his bonds but the restraints did not yield to his efforts.

Closing his eyes against the dull throbbing in his skull, Steve rested his head against the high back of the chair. Unable to sit there and not try anything, he attempted to rock the chair in hopes of tipping it over. It did not budge. He craned his head as far to the side as he could and saw that the chair was bolted to the cement floor. Taking a deep breath, Steve willed himself to relax and concentrate on the circumstances that had landed him in this mess.

He had gone to the beach to find Michael, on the information that Paul Martine gave him. It had been a trap…..two people had waited for him and shot him, drugged him. Now he was in a windowless room that was no bigger than ten by ten. No clue as to where he was being held and no way to contact his team. His watch was gone and so were his boots and socks. This was not a good situation and the blank door in front of him mocked him as he sat there. Steve had been in tight spots before but had always understood the reasons behind them, a mission had usually gone bad and he had to use his wits and skills to escape. This capture had taken him by surprise; he was not supposed to be the target.

Another wave of frustration washed over Steve and he again pulled against his restraints, trying to pull his hands through the metal bands. He strained against the leather strap, hoping to loosen it from the chair back. He could not even move his legs away from the chair legs as the shackles held tight. Sweat popped out on his forehead and panting he went limp against the chair. Whoever had taken him wanted him alive and they intended to make sure he was not going to escape.

That led his thoughts to who had actually set up this trap. They had believed that Nicholas Downing was the man behind the threat to Michael Tremain. The man was known to be a kidnapper for hire, the person who could fulfill any contract and provide the person requested for a price. If that was the case then someone out there had wanted Steve and wanted him alive. That thought made a sick feeling settle in Steve's stomach as he knew that the list of people who wanted him captured but not killed was small. That knowledge left a sour taste in his mouth and he renewed his efforts to loosen the shackles. All he managed to accomplish was to scrape his wrists raw and bruise his ankles. Damp with sweat and short of breath, Steve let his head hang and closed his eyes against the incessant pounding inside his head.

*H 5-0*

At 5-0 headquarters, Danny Williams was worrying about who was behind this kidnapping as well. It would have been so easy to have killed Steve on that beach. McGarrett believed he was going out there to retrieve the French boy, not to face guns. This was a plan to take Steve alive and that limited the list of suspects and only one man topped that list. Wo Fat. Wo Fat had held Steve prisoner in North Korea and since they had rescued Steve but not captured Wo Fat, Danny had feared further retaliation. Their nemesis seemed to be able to move undetected in and out of Hawaii. That knowledge ate at Danny and he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

They had returned to the palace and immediately got to work trying to follow the few leads they had. HPD was trying to find any sign of the van….looking for a witness who might have seen it come off the beach and if they could get it on camera. Danny was waiting for the Governor to return his call; the man was at some awards presentation and clearly did not think a call from Det. Danny Williams was as necessary to return as a call from Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett would be.

Kono and Chin were both busy following up on the money that Martine had received and trying to find Sheila Keone. An HPD officer was watching Martine as he sat in the main room near the smart table. Danny had taken pity on Michael and let him occupy his office to spend some private time with Maya. That had led to Danny taking over Steve's office. He gazed around the room, not sure if he was hoping for inspiration or comfort among the objects that represented Steve's life. How much time did his friend and partner have?

Purposeful footsteps made him look up to see Governor Denning's large frame entering 5-0's offices. The man was in a tuxedo and his expression was stern. He saw Danny come to his feet and he headed straight to that office.

"Governor…..sir, I did not expect you to come down here," Danny said as he pulled open the door.

Denning swept past him and stopped mid-way into the room, his eyes travelling over all the various awards and proof of McGarrett's life and accomplishments. He turned back to Danny, his face curious.

"When I receive a message that the head of my special task force has been kidnapped while serving as protection for someone else…I see the need to come down here. What is going on Detective Williams?" Sam Denning demanded.

"Well sir, this is complicated," Danny began. "Michael Tremain wanted to eat at The Trade Winds and then he snuck out on us. His buddy sent Steve out to the beach, telling him Michael was there. There were two people waiting and they shot Steve with tranquilizers and loaded him in a van before Chin and I could get to him," Danny related, hating how lame it sounded when said out loud. "We were concentrating on protecting Tremain and never saw this coming."

Denning considered the information and noticed that the other two team members were hovering outside the office. Beyond them was the son of the French delegate to the UN and a young woman. He pointed to Chin and Kono and motioned for them to come inside the office. Michael and Maya went to sit beside Paul, watching the occupants of Commander McGarrett's office.

"So, you believe that Commander McGarrett was the target all along and not the Tremain boy?" the Governor asked.

"We can't be sure of that sir," Kono spoke up. "We aren't sure that Michael isn't still a target. We have to keep him safe."

"But you have no doubt that McGarrett was who they wanted to take tonight?"

"Yes sir," Danny said quickly. "The assailants were too close to mistake Steve for Michael. They knew who they were taking and Martine has confessed that he was contacted by some man who instructed him to send Steve out on that beach. This was planned to capture Steve."

"And who would that person be?" Denning questioned, finding this hard to believe.

"We still believe that Nicholas Downing was hired to make this snatch," Chin spoke up. "He works on "for hire" basis and engineers kidnappings for other parties on request. The threat to Michael may still be in place but someone else saw an opportunity to take Steve as well."

"So what are you doing about this?"

"We are trying to trace the money that has all ready been placed in Martine's bank account. We also traced the phone call that he received to give him his instructions. The money has been a dead end so far but the phone call originated from the Halekulani Hotel, suite 512. The room had been occupied by a Chandler Grey until yesterday. A photo check has confirmed that it was Nicholas Downing," Chin related.

"And there is no further knowledge of where this Grey/Downing fellow has moved on to?"

"No sir, he has not checked into any other hotel that we have found so far," Danny answered.

"So what else do you have?"

"I am tracking the other girl that Michael invited to dinner tonight," Kono told him. "We have a copy of her fingerprints from a glass she drank from in Michael's suite earlier and we are waiting to get a match."

"Do you think she was a plant?" Denning asked to clarify things.

"We think she was part of it. Whether to take Michael or Steve we don't know. But she lied about her name for some reason and she cut out in the confusion," Danny said grimly. "We will find her."

"All right," Denning said checking his watch. "Keep me informed. And keep digging." He looked at the three team members and his expression softened somewhat. He could see that they all were extremely concerned for McGarrett and there was more going on here than he knew about. Now was not the time to keep them from doing their job and he would get his answers later when this was resolved. "I am sure you are doing your best. If I can help in any way…..grease some rails to get information, let me know. Keep me in the loop Det. Williams."

"Yes sir, thank you sir," Danny said quickly. "We will find Steve."

Denning nodded and left without another word. The three remaining occupants of the room exchanged grim looks.

"I think we need additional help. I am going to call Joe. I know that things are tense between him and Steve but we need his contacts. If this is Wo Fat behind this then we need all the help we can get. Kono, find Sheila. Chin, talk to Kamekona, we need his grapevine. We need to know if there is anyone talking big about grabbing Steve or if there is some place that he can be kept that we might not think to look. Anything….." Danny said desperately.

"Sure thing," both of them chorused and left to take care of it.

Danny turned to the desk, sinking down into Steve's chair. Pulling his phone out, he paused before dialing Joe's number. He hoped he was doing the right thing but he would talk to the devil if it would help find Steve.

End chapter.

**The search is on. Who did order Steve's abduction? Is it Wo Fat or do we have someone else with a grudge? Thank you so much for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I do intend to continue playing with the characters as long as I can.**

**Thank you for the support. Your reviews mean a lot to me.**

Chapter 4

The grating noise of the metal lock turning snapped Steve's head up and his senses went to full alert. The drug that had not cleared his system at first had made him doze off momentarily but the door opening now sent a rush of adrenalin through him. As the door swung inward, it revealed a man in his early 40s with light brown hair and amused brown eyes. Strolling into the room, he casually nodded to an armed man who promptly pulled the door closed behind him, leaving the man alone with Steve. Hands in his pockets, he paced a few steps before McGarrett pausing to smile at him smugly.

"I see you are finally fully awake Commander McGarrett," he commented in a British accented voice. "I apologize for the accommodations but was warned you would be a dangerous guest."

"Nicholas Downing," Steve replied, glaring at the man. He had no problem recognizing him from the photos Interpol had provided of the man.

"I see you know me," Downing responded with obvious pleasure. "It appears my reputation has preceded me. I've considered changing my appearance but I just don't favor cosmetic surgery." He rubbed his chin with one hand thoughtfully. "I will say you are one of my more difficult to plan acquisitions. It was not easy to take you by surprise."

"If you had asked, maybe I could have been more helpful," Steve said dryly. "Who requested this job?"

"My transactions are confidential Commander," Downing smiled, enjoying the feeling of power he had over his bound captive. "I'm afraid you will just have to wait, you will meet him soon enough. I was warned to be careful with you, you have a dangerous reputation."

"You have no idea," Steve growled, jerking at his shackles once more. The desire to wipe the smug look off Downing's face was very strong.

"Relax Commander, you cannot get out of those restraints and I do not want you hurting yourself," Downing chided. "My buyer would like you as undamaged as possible. If you continue to struggle I am afraid I will have to resort to chemical means to calm you," he added as he produced a capped syringe from his pant pocket.

Steve stilled and watched him warily. He would need to stay awake if he stood any chance of escape. Being drugged would limit his chances and he did not want to give his enemy the advantage.

"I knew you would be reasonable," Downing smirked, stepping close enough to pat Steve's cheek. Angrily Steve jerked his head away.

"You have made a big mistake Downing. My team will find you and you will rot in prison," Steve promised through clenched teeth. Eyes dark with anger bored into the Englishman's eyes, making the man flinch slightly. "I'll personally lock the door to your cell."

"Good luck with that Commander," Downing said recovering quickly. "I will hand you over to my client and then I'm off this lovely island. I have been chased by the best." He waved the syringe before Steve's face. "Just behave or I will be forced to send you to dreamland for the remainder of your stay." Going to the door, he knocked twice and then walked out when the door was opened for him. The guard closed the door shut once more and the click of the lock echoed in the small room, a nasty reminder of how bleak Steve's situation was.

Muttering a few choice curses, Steve again tried to free his wrists from his bonds. The sting of raw skin burned and he could feel the stickiness of the blood that now seeped from his flesh. The ankle shackles also proved to still be tightly holding his legs in place. Dejectedly he let his had slump forward for a moment, allowing his breathing to return to normal.

"Come on team…..Danny…..find me," he mumbled softly. He knew they were looking for him, he was sure of it and they would not give up. Danny was sure to go into a rant about his not waiting for the others before going onto the beach. Steve could only hope that he would be present to listen to it.

*H 5-0*

It was early the next morning when Joe White marched into 5-0 headquarters looking stern. Danny met him at the smart table, hoping against hope the ex-Navy man would be able to provide some insight into who would want Steve taken alive. They had sent Tremain and his party back to the hotel with a protection detail provided by HPD.

"Hey Joe, thanks for coming," Danny greeted him. "We could use your help."

"You said this had to do with Steve."

"Yea….what can you tell us about Nicholas Downing?" Danny countered while Kono sent the photos from Interpol up onto the screens.

"Downing?" Joe frowned. "He's a high priced kidnapper. Snatches people on request, usually high profile victims for political reasons or to fetch a big ransom. Slippery fellow, he's never been caught," he recited then with narrowed eyes he glared at Danny. "Where's Steve?"

"Someone took Steve off the beach outside The Trade Winds last night. He was tranquilized and thrown in a van. We believe that Downing was contracted to take Steve for someone," Danny told him bluntly.

"Are you saying that someone just waltzed in and grabbed Steve?" Joe snapped. Danny nodded. "Well it's pretty clear who would like to question Steve, now isn't it? What the hell took you so long to call me?" the older man exploded.

"Cool down Joe," Danny protested holding up his hands. Chin and Kono moved in closer, behind Danny. They could tell that the tension was building too fast between the two men.

"You know exactly who would pay to get his hands on Steve," Joe growled in a lower voice. He glared up at the screens. "This smells like Wo Fat's doing."

"So far there is no evidence that Wo Fat is even on Oahu," Chin spoke up. "We are attempting to trace where Downing could possibly be holding Steve."

"The man is clever and that is why he has never been caught," Joe said tersely. "He won't drag his feet in handing over Steve to his client. With this delay he could have all ready moved Steve off the island. You wasted time in not calling me sooner."

"You haven't been particularly helpful lately Joe," Danny pointed out heatedly. "You've done nothing but dodge Steve's questions and kept secrets from him. We will find Steve, I promise you that. Nothing so far indicates that he's been taken off the island."

Joe paused before he spoke again. He looked at the faces staring at him seriously. Determination shone in their eyes and he remembered how they had all willingly risked their careers and lives to go into North Korea for Steve. They would not stop searching for McGarrett this time either.

"Where's Officer Weston?" he asked suddenly noticing her absence.

"She is assisting ICE on the big island," Danny replied. "She'll be back as soon as they can let her go without compromising their sting. We can handle this and we will move on this. If you can't help, feel free to leave." Danny was beginning to regret calling in the man if he was only going to be negative. The presence of Chin and Kono behind him was reassuring, he could feel their solid support and he knew he could count on them.

"I'm in," Joe said in a more subdued voice. He knew that Danny was right; they would fight to find Steve. "Has that big friend of yours got any leads?"

"Kamekona has his ear to the ground," Chin replied. "His contacts are local but we are hoping that he can learn if someone from the outside has been setting up a way to move someone off the island quietly."

"We are also checking on any new arrivals to the island or suspicious ships that are trying to avoid the notice of the authorities," Danny added.

"I'm tracking a woman in Tremain's party, she lied about who she was and could be working for Downing," Kono told him as she sent a picture of Sheila to one of the overhead screens.

"Why would Downing have been interested in this Tremain kid?" Joe asked, not knowing the assignment that 5-0 had caught.

"He is the son of the French delegate to the UN. The State Department got word that someone was interested in taking the kid to influence an upcoming vote," Danny explained.

"So Downing was here for someone else to begin with," Joe said thoughtfully. "That means that Downing got a better offer in the meantime."

"That is what we think."

"Then maybe he doesn't have this as carefully planned as usual," Joe remarked with at small smile. "I can contact some people and see what I can learn about how Downing operates. Knowing how he conducts his exchanges may help. If this is being done on the fly it may cause him to slip up. While I am at it I will see if they know what Wo Fat has been up to," he continued looking a bit more pleased with things. "Steve is not going to let this happen without a fight."

"I will get you set up with a secure line," Kono said taking his arm. "The sooner you talk to them the faster we find Steve." She led him towards her office.

Danny and Chin exchanged looks. The clock was ticking on this operation and they needed something to break soon.

End chapter.

**Well we have gotten a look at Nicholas Downing and know who grabbed Steve. Now who is the buyer? I hope that I got Joe right, he is a puzzle on the show and I don't know what tonight's episode will reveal to us. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I have no claim to the characters from the show and only enjoy playing pretend with them.**

**Thank you everyone for the lovely comments you have given me. I hope that you like this next chapter.**

Chapter 5

Chin reached out to slap Danny on the back.

"Don't let him get under your skin brah," he advised looking at Joe's retreating back. "He's as worried about Steve as we are. We will find Steve."

"We had better," Danny muttered. He was running on very little sleep and didn't enjoy crossing swords with Joe. There was no doubt that Joe had been keeping things from Steve but deep down Danny felt the older man would move mountains to help find McGarrett. "We need a damn break Chin. Where would a stranger to these islands hide someone that the entire police force is looking for?"

"Somewhere very private," Chin answered quickly. "The problem is that this island has lots of private places and they can all be reached quickly. It wasn't difficult to make Steve vanish and I would guess it was somewhere on the windward side, away from the city."

"He has to have a place that's accessible for the exchange with his buyer. At some point someone has to come out of hiding to move him," Danny said thinking out loud.

"We know he had two others working with him. There was the woman shooter and someone who drove the van," Chin said. "Unless Downing was driving but that still adds up to three at the very least."

"Chin…..would Wo Fat hire an international kidnapper to take Steve?" Danny asked suddenly. "He hasn't used that method at any other time. This just doesn't seem to be his style but I can't think of anyone else who wants Steve."

Chin silently considered Danny's words. That thought had crossed his mind as well. Using the kidnapper was not something that fit Wo Fat's methods. Before he could reply, his phone rang.

"Kelly," he said, after pulling it from his pocket. His eyes widened as he listened to the caller. Thanking the person, he broke the contact. "An abandoned black van was found up on the North Shore near Kahuku. It's been wiped clean but it matches the description we gave HPD. They are going over it more thoroughly and will call us if they get anything more. It has a couple dings in the back doors so at least we hit it."

"But that doesn't mean that Steve is being held near there. They could have dumped it there after stashing him elsewhere," Danny said but there was hope gleaming in his eyes.

Kono came over to them waving a photo and smiling triumphantly.

"Guys…..meet Stella Keawe, wanted on Maui for check fraud and embezzlement," she announced. "She disappeared from Kahului just as the police were about to arrest her eight weeks ago. I've let HPD know both her identities and they are covering all the possible ways off the island."

"Now we are getting somewhere," Danny approved happily rubbing his hands together. "The sooner we pick her up, the better."

There was a brief moment of silence as all three considered the time that had passed since Steve had been taken. Each tick of the clock increased the odds of the buyer claiming his captive and the trail getting colder. After everything that had happened in the last few months, they weren't sure if McGarrett had much luck in reserve.

*H 5-0*

That thought was crossing Steve's mind as well as he sat alone in the block room. He knew Downing had no interest in him other than to turn him over to his client. The guard had come in just once and gave him a small sip of water and then left. Steve was left to try and guess the passage of time and periodically he tested the shackles again. There was a strange pleasure that he took from the pain in his raw wrists and ankles, knowing that it kept his body from going numb while he sat there. He welcomed the sensations that kept him awake and his brain sharp, he needed to be ready when a chance for escape came.

A camera was mounted up in the corner in Steve's blind spot and Nicholas Downing was enjoying his chance to observe his prisoner.

"I have to admire Commander McGarrett's determination," he said to the attractive woman sitting next to him. "Margot, I do hope our buyer arrives soon. I sacrificed a very profitable deal for the Tremain boy just to satisfy this high roller. And I do not want to stay on this island any longer than necessary."

"He should be calling any time now Nicky," the dark haired woman replied. "I have the jet on stand-by at Kalaeloa airport. The helicopter will get us there quickly once the deal is done."

"Good work my pet," Downing approved. "This may be paradise but grabbing the head of a special task force just ruins the welcome. We need to get out of here."

"You need a vacation Nicky," Margot suggested with a smile. "You work too hard."

"That is a wonderful idea Margot. What do you think of Rio this time of year?"

"I think that would be lovely," she agreed as Downing's phone rang.

"Yes Mr. X, so good to hear from you," he said after hearing the voice on the other end. "Your package is secure and waiting for your pick up." Downing listened for a moment and then nodded. "He is unharmed but is resisting his confinement. Would you like me to administer something to make him more cooperative?" Again he nodded as his caller responded. "As you wish. We will see you soon. Goodbye Mr. X." He clicked off the phone and gave his companion a smug smile. "He should be here in about two hours and then we can get off this rock. Be prepared."

"Of course Nicky. I'll put the helo on alert," Margot said reaching for her own phone on the table. "Rio, here we come."

*H5-0*

Stella Keawe, who had been know to 5-0 as Sheila Keone was caught trying to board a cruise ship for Kauai under another false name. HPD delivered her to 5-0 and shortly thereafter she found herself in an interrogation room bathed in a strange bluish light. Now she sat in the middle of a windowless room with one wrist cuffed to the chair she occupied. With apprehensive eyes she stared at the three people who stood before her. Danny and Chin turned the questioning over to Kono.

"Stella….who hired you to get close to Michael Tremain?" she began pleasantly.

"I'm Sheila…..I don't know any Stella…" the frightened girl stammered.

"We know better Stella. We have your prints and we know the trouble you're in. Right now you are only facing check fraud and embezzlement charges but if you don't cooperate you will find there will be a kidnapping charge added to that. Also, you could be listed as an accessory to murder if this goes bad," Kono stated gravely, happy to see the girl pale at the seriousness of the situation.

"M….murder….but I haven't killed anyone. I don't know what you are talking about," the girl wailed. She looked desperately at the men, hoping they would take pity on her. Neither man reacted as they stood with arms crossed over their chests.

"If Commander McGarrett dies, you are connected to this," Kono told her.

"I had nothing to do with anyone taking Commander McGarrett. I was hired to lure Michael away from you. I had nothing to do with what happened at the restaurant," Stella whispered. She had no idea why the Commander had been taken. If anything, she had wondered if she could arrange to get a date with the handsome 5-0 leader before that night at The Trade Winds. After the business with Michael was over she would have loved to catch McGarrett's attention. No one had told her that he was in danger. She felt sick all over that she was messed up in this and wished she had just faced the music on Maui. "I only wanted to earn enough money to pay back my debts."

"Well you are involved in this over your head," Kono pointed out. "Unless you tell us everything you know this is going to get ugly for you." She leaned in to stare into Stella face. "Who hired you?"

"He said his name was Grey," Stella sobbed. "He didn't tell me anything about Commander McGarrett."

"We need to know everything that he said to you and anything else you can tell us about where you met him. Don't leave anything out because there is a man's life on the line and we are running out of time Stella," Kono pressed as she stayed in Stella's personal space. The girl swallowed hard and nodded as she tried to pull back from the woman cop. Her head hit the back of the chair.

"Okay…I will tell you everything," she choked out.

End chapter.

**Well we have some leads, now let's see if they can find Steve in time. I loved letting Kono have some fun. I hope everyone is enjoying the ride. Thank you so much for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. Darn it, I keep hoping they will give it to me but that isn't happening I guess.**

**Time to find out what Stella/Sheila has to say. And we will get a very good clue as to who put the order in for the kidnapping. Enjoy.**

Chapter 6

Stella proceeded to tell them everything she knew about the Englishman she had first met on Maui. The offer had been made to come to Oahu and get close to Michael Tremain. Stella had grabbed hold of the offer like a lifeline and accepted the new identity that Grey had provided for her. The job had gone well and Michael had succumbed to her charms until last night at The Trade Winds. When Michael chose Maya over her, she had gone back to her hotel in a huff and to plot how to regain Michael's interest so she could complete her job.

Choking back the tears, Stella told them she had met with Mr. Grey at the Halekulani Hotel to receive the first half of her payment. The Englishman had a woman named Margot with him, sort of an assistant because she was the one to give Stella the money order. And yes…..she could give the woman's description to a sketch artist.

After setting her up with the artist, the three gathered around the smart table. Kono's fingers flew as she entered the information into the computer. A few moments later Joe came out of Kono's office, his face serious.

"Intel is that Wo Fat was spotted in the Philippines yesterday morning. They lost track of where he went but they are positive he hasn't' left the country. It doesn't look like he is heading here anytime soon," Joe reported.

"So, do you think it's safe to assume he isn't our prime suspect any longer?" Danny questioned. "Our source has confirmed that Downing is the man who hired her to lure Tremain away from his protection detail. She knows nothing about plan to take Steve. It appears that Downing got a better offer midway through this operation."

"So if it's not Wo Fat behind this kidnapping then who is?" Kono asked in puzzlement.

"Good question," Chin replied. "I can think of a number who want Steve dead but not alive."

"Do we look into his oh-so-secret Navy operations?" Danny asked Joe.

Before he could answer Chin's phone rang and with a smile, he answered it.

"Hey Kamekona, please tell me some good news." He hit the speaker so the others could listen in on the call.

"My bruddahs…..I have good news and bad news," the voice echoed from the small instrument.

"We could use some good news big guy," Danny spoke up.

"I've picked up some information that might help you. Word is there is a new player in the drug game on the island. This guy has some big clout too," Kamekona answered. "The talk is he has lots of kala to throw around and he gets what he wants."

"What is his name and if that is the good news then what is the bad?" Chin inquired.

"His name is Arantes and that is the bad news. The word is he's related to those Columbian boys you busted last year."

"Santos Arantes," Kono breathed, going a bit pale.

"That's bad news all right," Danny nodded. "Hey, Shaved Ice, is he on the island all ready?"

"Word is he just arrived."

"Find out all you can, okay big guy?" Danny requested. His anxiety level was rising with this news and he could see that Kono and Chin felt the same. Joe looked confused by what they had just heard. "We need everything we can learn on Arantes and we need it fast."

"I will do my best but not too many want to talk about this dude. Malama pono," he responded.

"You be careful too," Kono said and the sound of the phone disconnecting could be heard.

"Who is Santos Arantes and what is this about some Columbian boys?" Joe demanded.

"Last year two brothers from Columbia set up a drug ring here and took out a contract on Steve's life, hoping to eliminate 5-0 with his death. The shooter bungled the job and we took down the Alverez brothers and their operation," Danny explained.

"And Arantes?"

"He was the one supplying the cocaine that the Alverez brothers were pushing," Chin said.

"He is also their cousin," Danny added.

Joe's eyebrows went up as the full implication of what he had just heard hit him.

"A family vendetta," he groaned.

"Most likely," Danny confirmed. "And everything Jenna Kaye told us about him is that he is ruthless. He may want Steve alive but it won't be for long."

"It is true that Columbian drug cartels do love to exact revenge, especially if family is involved," Joe agreed. "This does not look good for Steve."

Kono had been busy pulling up all the information they had gotten on Santos Arantes last year from Jenna Kaye. She set the computer searching for more recent information on the drug dealer and then found a photo of the man in question. Biting on her lower lip while she ran through what they had, she wished that Jenna was there to get them further information. Kono had hated how Jenna had betrayed Steve and led him into a Wo Fat's trap but she had been useful with all the contacts she had. Finding what she wanted, she waved her hand and sent a picture up onto the screen.

"Santos Arantes, head of the Arantes Columbian cartel and the cousin of Bernardo and Javier Alverez," she announced as a full length photo appeared. It showed a muscular man around six feet tall with dark hair and a goatee. He was photographed beside a jeep holding a lethal semiautomatic weapon with a body at his feet. There was a cruel look in his eyes as he ignored the dead man at his feet. Kono shivered slightly at the thought of McGarrett in this man's hands. "This photo was taken at Arantes former compound by CIA last year. That body was the informant that Jenna had gotten some of her information from. It was confirmed by the operative that had been observing Arantes' compound and took this photo."

"We need to get this picture and any other that is a close up out to all law enforcement on the island. We have to know how he got on the island, what he's driving and where he is staying," Danny instructed. "We need any aliases that the man has used in the past."

"On it Boss," Kono said quickly.

"Don't let Steve catch you calling Danny that," Chin admonished with a grin.

"Hey…right now I am the boss," Danny groused but couldn't hide the smirk on his face. They had a target to aim at and he had to admit he was feeling better. It wouldn't be easy to find Arantes but with someone to hunt for it gave him hope. They would find this scumbag and Danny would make him pay for anything he did to Steve.

"Chin, find out if HPD has found anything in that van and then go over what Stella told us. Somewhere in all this is a clue to Downing and that will lead us to Arantes I am sure. I don't think that we have to worry about Steve being moved off the island. I have the feeling that Arantes will want to deal with him as soon as he gets his hands on him. Joe…you are coming with me," Danny issued orders, sounding a lot like Steve.

"And where are we going…..exactly?" Joe enquired.

"We….are going to Halawa and talk to a pair of Columbian drug dealers," Danny answered grimly.

"Do you think they will be willing to tell us anything?" Joe asked skeptically as he followed Danny out of the office.

"Not willingly but I don't intend to play fair in this. I am willing to bet that they know something and I plan to enjoy grilling them for whatever I can get out of them," Danny growled. "If the idiot they had hired for the hit on Steve had been thorough, you would have been back on Hawaii last year to attend Steve's funeral. If we don't locate Downing or Arantes in time, you might still get that chance."

"Okay, I see your point," Joe said as they walked outside. They approached the Camero and got in. As he buckled his seatbelt, Joe looked over at Danny. "Why don't you fill me in on these two brothers on the ride to Halawa?"

Danny nodded and started the car. The knot that had been in his stomach last night had now returned and was bigger than ever.

End chapter.

**Thanks for reading. For those of you who haven't read my other story…."Ambush on Wa'ahila Ridge" I have given you a brief idea of what happened. The team believes they have their bad guy now. Can they catch him in time? **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. Thank you CBS for bringing back this show so I can play with it.**

**And thank you readers for giving me such support in my effort to write this story. I am inspired since I learned that there will be 24 episodes this season, just like last season.**

Chapter 7

Halawa Correctional Facility was not one of Danny Williams' favorite places. It was difficult to shake the memories of how sick he had felt seeing McGarrett on the other side of the safety glass in an orange jumpsuit. The fact that Steve had been cleared of the charges did not dim the memories and the sound of the doors clanging shut behind Danny was still disturbing.

He had filled Joe in on the ride to the facility and then had placed a call to Halawa to set things up. The request to have a private interview room had been cleared and they found Bernardo and Javier waiting for them when they arrived. The brothers were secured to their chairs and one guard was present as Danny and Joe entered the room. Neither of the brothers was happy to see Detective Williams walk in.

"Gentlemen, you are looking well," Danny announced, rubbing his hands together. He paused when met with hostile silence. "Aw…..you aren't happy to see me?"

Continued stony silence was the only reaction to his question. Danny threw an easy grin back at Joe who remained near the door, arms crossed over his chest.

"I guess they aren't thrilled to see me. That is a shame," he said turning back to the prisoners. "We need some information. What is the latest news from home, boys?"

"What?" Javier responded in surprise, not expecting that line of questioning. Bernardo glared at his younger brother.

"Listen, I don't have time to play games. We know you've received correspondence from Columbia. I'm betting that some of it came from Cousin Santos, didn't it?" Danny said watching their reactions. When he had talked to the prison officials he had been told that mail from South America had arrived recently for the brothers. Danny focused on Javier. "They are confiscating your mail as we speak."

"They will be disappointed," Javier smirked. "They will find nothing." He remembered how leaving a paper trail had gotten him into prison in the first place. He would not make that mistake again but his reaction also confirmed that he had gotten incriminating mail.

"Shut up Javier," Bernardo ordered sharply. "They are playing you, say nothing."

"Looks like you hit a nerve Danny," Joe commented with a smug smile. "He isn't denying that Cousin Santos has been in touch."

"And who are you old man?" Bernardo sneered.

With a few quick strides Joe was looming over the seated man, his face close to Bernardo's.

"I am a friend of Steve McGarrett. And your cousin's vendetta is not going to see the light of day," Joe growled. "We will see to that."

"Vendetta? What are you talking about," Bernardo sniffed, regaining his composure. His training as a lawyer reminded him to not reveal anything. "You are making things up."

Danny and Joe exchanged quick glances as Joe backed off. Bernardo's pretended innocence did not quit ring true and the look on Javier's face swung their attention to the weaker of the brothers.

"We know that Arantes hired Nicholas Downing to grab Steve. We know your cousin is on Oahu. Tell us where he plans to keep McGarrett or you will have more time tacked on to your sentences for the death of a government official," Danny stated as he stared down Javier.

"They are lying," Bernardo warned his brother.

"You would like to think that," Danny said. "But I promise you that your stay here will be even longer if anything happens to McGarrett. We are closing in on Downing's position. If we get there when Cousin Santos does, we'll make sure you have a family reunion right here."

Javier looked at his brother in concern. 5-0 knew more than they should. Both Danny and Joe noticed the unspoken exchange.

Danny's phone ringing broke the silence and he listened to the caller and then broke the connection with a smile.

"That was Chin. We're out of here…..HPD found a gas receipt in the van from a station in Hau'ula. We're closing in on Downing. We'll pick him up and trap Arantes as well." He nodded to the guard. "You can put these two back in their cells, we're done with them."

A string of Spanish curses followed Danny and Joe out the door.

"You do know that a gas receipt is not necessarily going to point us to Downing," Joe said as they left the prison. "Did you learn enough?"

"They basically confirmed that Arantes is on the island and that is what I was hoping to learn," Danny said opening the door to the Camaro. "I know that the receipt is a slim lead but it gives us a starting place."

"That is true. Those two boys were not at all happy when we mentioned their cousin. He is here," Joe agreed.

*H 5-0*

The click of the door lock brought Steve out of his thoughts and sharpened his attention into sharp focus. His guard entered, carrying leg manacles and handcuffs and stopped before him. Steve's stomach tightened and he became tense, aware that he would finally have a chance to attempt an escape. The man didn't speak but squatted down before Steve and attached the leg manacles above the restraints on the chair. Once secured, he then released the shackles after shifting out of the range of any kick that Steve might deliver.

"If you are looking for a way to escape, you might as well forget that," Nicholas Downing spoke from the doorway. "I always guarantee delivery and I will not allow you to get the upper hand."

"I will get free and come after you," Steve promised in a low voice. He glared at the man standing beside him, holding the cuffs. Steve was aware that his arms were too far apart to secure both wrists before releasing the chair shackles. One hand would need to be free before both handcuffs could be locked. Preparing for the moment he could act, he watched the man snap the first cuff on his left wrist.

"Now, now…..Commander, don't try anything stupid," Downing's voice interrupted his concentration. Steve's gaze jumped to Downing and found a gun centered on his forehead.

"Won't killing me ruin the deal?" Steve enquired dryly.

"Oh, I won't kill you," Downing answered and he moved the gun's muzzle down to point at Steve's right forearm. "I can maim you and still complete the deal. A bullet wound will seriously hamper any chance of escaping your buyer."

"You don't seem to mind that possibility," Steve observed.

"Frankly Commander, once I hand you over I have no further interest in what occurs to you. My part of the contract will be fulfilled," Downing said with a shrug. "But for now I expect you to cooperate with Frank or I will put a bullet in your arm."

Steve took a deep breath and briefly considered calling the man's bluff. Meekly submitting to the handcuffs ran contrary to his nature but he knew that Downing was serious and would shoot. The possibility of a shattered forearm from the bullet was not going to help him escape this predicament and he had to play the odds to still get free. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Frank who stood waiting to finish securing his wrists.

"Go ahead Frank; I think that the Commander is not going to give you any trouble. He knows that now is not the time to play hero," Downing said with a small smile.

Frank released the left chair shackle and pulled Steve's arm over to his right and snapped the metal over Steve's raw wrist. He released the shackle on that arm as well and stepped back. Downing had kept his gun on Steve the entire time and once the handcuffs were in place he lowered the gun. Steve dropped his bruised and bloody hands into his lap and glared at Downing, feeling helpless and angry.

"Thank you Frank, good job. Let us get Commander McGarrett on his feet and ready to meet Mr. X," Downing said cheerfully. "It's time to get off this island before the authorities locate us. Let the Commander use the facilities and then bring him upstairs. Watch him carefully; he is known to be very resourceful."

"Yes sir, I can handle him," Frank said confidently as he tapped his own weapon hanging at his waist. He grasped Steve by his upper left arm and pulled him to his feet. Downing walked out of the room and Frank gave Steve a shove in the back to get him moving.

Staggering forward, Steve tried not to fall as his numb feet shuffled forward. Sitting so long had constricted his circulation and the short chain between his legs didn't allow him to move quickly. Feeling frustrated he obeyed Frank's instructions, knowing patience would be necessary if he was going to turn this situation to his advantage.

End chapter.

**Okay….the race is on. Can they locate Steve before Mr. X takes delivery? Or can Steve find a way to overcome the obstacles and free himself? Thank you so much for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I do insist that the owners look the other way while we play with their creations.**

**Thanks so very much for reading my work. I really do appreciate it.**

Chapter 8

Danny charged into headquarters with Joe on his heels, eager to see what Kono and Chin had learned. This lead had to pan out.

"Okay Chin, what else do we have?" Danny demanded.

Chin's hand swept over the smart table and sent a video up on a screen.

"From the time stamp on the receipt we were able to get this footage from the service station. The gas was paid for in cash and the station's security camera recorded the transaction." He tapped the table and the camera zoomed in on the man handing clerk cash. "Meet Frank Dorsett, Interpol lists him as a suspected associate of Nicholas Downing."

"So how does this get us any closer to where Downing is holding Steve?" Joe asked.

"Because Frank Dorsett rented a house near Ka'a'awa, in a very private location," Kono responded, putting a map up on another screen.

"He used his own name?" Danny asked in disbelief.

"No, the rental was made by a Jack Tanner. Interpol provided us with a list of aliases for Downing and his known associates. Tanner is one of them," she answered.

"Well then let's move," Danny urged turning toward the door.

"Right, HPD is heading out there now," Chin reported.

"Just heading out there now?" Danny asked pausing in mid-stride.

"Hey brah….we only got the video and the address moments before you walked in the room," Chin said defensively as they all headed out of the office.

"Sorry Chin, just worried about Steve," Danny apologized quickly.

"No problem Danny," Chin replied feeling the same anxiety about getting to Steve as Danny did. They piled into their vehicles and hit the road.

*H 5-0*

Frank forced Steve up the stairs and Steve had fought him from the moment he left the bathroom. He knew the odds were against him but he got some satisfaction from a head butt that sent Frank falling back before he kicked Steve in the knee and then turned him around and pressed his gun muzzle against the back of the Commander's neck. With a rough shove he sent him up the stairs as he held the gun in place and gripped Steve's left arm tightly from behind. Again McGarrett had to rein in his impulses and become patient. Frank had proved very adept at handling unruly captives.

The room at the top of the stairs was a spacious living area and Downing was waiting for them next to a table a few feet away from the staircase. Steve quickly scanned the room, taking note of several suitcases stacked by the sliding glass doors to the lanai in the back. A petite woman with dark hair was next to the window alongside the front door. Both Downing and the woman were holding handguns.

"He got a bit cranky but I settled him down," Frank reported as he roughly shoved Steve forward. Then Frank quickly stepped closer and took hold of Steve's left arm once more and pressed the gun into Steve's back.

"Commander, I will be pleased to see the last of you," Downing announced. "The police are closing in and I want to hand you over to my client and leave." He paused and looked Steve over closely. "I must say you are looking better now Commander."

Steve felt better, being up on his feet had restored his circulation and that had helped clear his head. Running cold water over his raw wrists and splashing it on his face had been a big help in improving his physical and mental well being. Now he only wished he had his boots back but he was willing to deal with things the way they were.

"Nicky…I believe this is Mr. X arriving," the woman announced. "He has brought two muscle men with him."

"Good…..let them in Margot," Downing instructed.

Margot opened the door as the three Hispanic men reached the front steps. The first man was of average height and very fit. His dark goatee was neatly trimmed and his cold eyes swept the room and came to rest with smug satisfaction on Steve. His two companions, obvious body guards were armed and looked ready for action in T-shirts and jeans. Mr. X's appearance was almost deceptive in his colorful Hawaiian shirt and light linen slacks. But there was nothing touristy or soft about the way he moved toward McGarrett in coiled anger.

"Mr. X, as you can see I have your package ready," Downing said, stopping the man before he could touch Steve. "You pay and then you can play."

"As you wish," Mr. X said in irritation but turned from Steve and took a briefcase from one of his men. He went to the table next to Downing and placed the case on it. He spun the combination dial and opened the case to reveal stacks of bills in neat rows.

"Excellent," Downing beamed as he lifted a bundle of bills and inspected the cash. "Feel free to play."

Mr. X immediately crossed back to McGarrett and swiftly drove his fist into Steve's stomach. With a gasp of pain Steve doubled over and let out a shaky breath.

"Who the hell are you?" Steve ground out when his breath came back. He straightened up and stared at the man. He looked familiar, the face tugged at Steve's memory.

"You will learn in time. Mr. Downing, I am impressed that you filled my order so quickly."

"Not a problem, since I had targeted Tremain originally then this was not difficult since 5-0 was called in to protect him," Downing said with a shrug.

"Well it has been a pleasure to do business with you," Mr. X told him.

"It has been a profitable deal…now if you don't mind; my associates and I would like to get out of here. We have a helicopter waiting to fly us away," Downing said hurriedly, shutting the case and motioning to Margot and Frank.

Mr. X snapped his fingers and his two men moved in to take hold of Steve, one on each side. Frank holstered his gun and moved over to the pile of suitcases and picked up a couple. Margot joined him grabbing the remaining ones.

Steve immediately began to struggle against his captors trying to test their hold. They jerked him upright and Mr. X once again came at him swinging…..driving his fist up into McGarrett's jaw. Steve's head snapped backwards, tasting blood as he bit his tongue.

"Stop fighting and cooperate," the man instructed. "I can arrange for you to hurt even more McGarrett."

"I should know you," Steve said, eyes boring into the dark depths of his assailant's eyes. The man was only a few inches shorter than the task force leader and a smirk spread over his face at McGarrett's words.

"Take him out to the car," Mr. X instructed.

The two men easily half-carried, half-dragged McGarrett outside to a dark grey Suburban as Steve attempted to struggle out of their grip. Their boss opened the rear hatch to the vehicle and the men lifted Steve up and dumped him in the back. They slammed the hatch shut; leaving Steve in the dim interior of the while they moved to the front. All the windows were deeply tinted and there was a metal barricade between the back cargo compartment and the seats beyond. Steve awkwardly got to a seated position and grasped the metal barrier that separated him from the passenger section. He shook it.

"It is secured in place McGarrett, don't waste your time," Mr. X commented from the front seat. He was settled in the passenger side while one of the men took a seat behind the wheel. "Sit back and enjoy the ride."

The remaining man slid into place in the seat in front of Steve. He turned part way and faced Steve. He drew a switchblade out of his pocket, snapped it open and poked it at Steve's hands. McGarrett quickly let go of the barricade and moved back out of reach of the long sharp blade.

"What do you want with me?" Steve demanded.

"I want justice," Mr. X replied. "I want you to be the lever that gets my family members out of prison and then you will pay for arresting them in the first place."

"We don't deal with terrorists. My team will not play your game," Steve answered calmly while his mind whirled furiously. He should know who this was; the knowledge was pulling at the edges of his memory. His tired mind just couldn't connect the dots at the moment.

The vehicle left the gravel road and turned left onto pavement. Steve stared out the back, trying to get his bearings through the dark glass. He could make out flashing lights closing on them from the rear and saw the cruisers turn left onto the road the Suburban had just exited. The third vehicle appeared to be a light colored Camaro. His team had arrived but they were too late. Frustration washed over Steve, so close and yet so far…..he desperately hoped that they would at least nail Downing if they couldn't find him.

End chapter.

**Don't be too angry…..this couldn't end right here. Thank you for reading, I appreciate all the support.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I really wish that CBS was into sharing.**

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews and I hope you like this chapter.**

Chapter 9

Danny skidded the Camaro to a stop just behind the two HPD cruisers. Chin's vehicle stopped next to him. They all spilled out of their cars, vests on and weapons at the ready. At Danny's direction, they fanned out to circle the house, approaching cautiously.

Danny and Joe went to the front door with one HPD officer as Kono, Chin and the others headed around to the back of the house. The HPD officer tried the door which swung open easily and at that moment the sound of a helicopter powering up could be heard from behind the house.

"Damn it!" Danny swore as he raced through the house to the outside lanai in time to see the copter lifting off the ground. He watched as Chin, Kono and the remaining police raced towards it, firing upwards in vain. Chin stopped and pulled out his phone, placing a quick call.

"Danny," Joe's voice brought him back to the job inside. Maybe Steve wasn't on the helicopter. He rejoined Joe in the main room and found the older man looking down some stairs. "We need to check this out."

Nodding, Danny followed Joe down and they methodically checked each room until they found the windowless one with a lone chair bolted to the floor. Swallowing hard, Danny observed the bloodstains on the wrist and ankle shackles.

"I don't think we need Max to type this blood, I'm sure it's Steve's," Danny said glumly.

"And so are these," Joe said pulling a pair of boots out of a box in the corner. Beneath them he found the broken pieces of Steve's cell phone.

"If he was on that helicopter then we've lost him," Danny said bleakly.

"Or that was Downing making his escape," Joe commented. "The exchange may have all ready been made."

"Then we are still too late," Danny reminded him, his mind furiously running through their options. "Unless…Downing's client is on highway 83 right now," he added.

"Are there any cameras along the highway? Maybe we can catch the vehicles that have passed by," Joe replied.

"Or this exchange went down just moments before we arrived. If Steve isn't on that chopper then he might be in some vehicle that hit the highway just as we got here," Danny said hopefully.

"We need roadblocks," Joe suggested.

"And we may have a witness to tell us what we are looking for," Danny declared as he ran out of the room and headed up the stairs with Joe following. Kono and Chin were inside now directing the search of the upper level. "Who was driving the first car here?" Danny demanded as he cleared the final step.

"I was," a young Hawaiian officer spoke up as he looked up from a desk he was going through.

"Officer Palea, were there any vehicles on the road as we pulled off of the highway? A van or truck that might have just gotten onto the road ahead of us?" Danny asked urgently.

"Uh….there was a big SUV with tinted windows that I don't remember being ahead earlier but we were moving pretty fast so we could have just caught up with it," the young man said hesitantly.

"It was a dark grey Suburban," Duke Lukela spoke up. "I was riding shotgun and only noticed it as we got to the turnoff. I saw a partial plate…..5 and 0," he said with an ironic smile.

"Great," Danny said finally feeling some hope. "Thanks Duke. Kono, we need…."

"All ready calling for roadblocks," she answered with her phone out.

"And I called air traffic control to track the helicopter. They said they would plot the course to discover where it is landing or if it is heading to one of the other islands," Chin informed him. "They said they would contact Hickman; see if they could get a jet in the air to follow."

Excellent," Danny approved. This was looking even better if they could nail the bastard that took Steve and find the ones that now held him. It couldn't happen fast enough to please him. "Duke, finish up here and then let us know what else you find. We're going back to headquarters and see if we can follow all the leads and nail these guys."

"Sure thing Danny," Duke said with a nod.

Danny stalked out to his car as Joe and the cousins followed him. They were going to make sure that they located Steve as quickly as possible. It was still clear to Danny that the clock was still ticking.

*H 5-0*

After hitting highway 83, the Suburban increased speed to put distance between them and the cruisers they had seen in the rear view mirror. Slowing to the appropriate speeds when going through the various towns but then the driver stretched the speed limit when on the open road.

"Don't get us stopped," Mr. X warned the driver.

"No patron," the man responded.

Steve pulled his attention from the road to study his captor. The man's face was familiar and not knowing the name that went with the face was irritating McGarrett. He could not help feeling that knowing who this man was would explain everything and show him how to turn this to his advantage.

"Keep a sharp eye out, the turn is almost here," the man cautioned his driver as they passed Kahuku Point and travelled along the North Shore.

At that instruction McGarrett felt disappointment wash through him. He was sure that his team and HPD would put up road blocks as soon as they discovered that he was not in that house. If they left the main roads it would be impossible to find him. There was too much ground to cover once they left the main highway. He would be on his own when it came to escape.

Five minutes later the SUV turned left, throwing Steve off balance as they headed inland. He struggled to an upright position and saw they were headed into the foothills of the Ko'olau range. The vehicle headed deeper into the jungle, turning onto a rougher and less used roads until they were on rutted, narrow track. Bracing himself the best he could, McGarrett tried to remember the twists in the road as they continued onward. He hoped he would have a chance to follow the route out of here when he managed to free himself. After several bone jarring bumps, the SUV came to a stop in a small clearing.

When the Suburban came to a halt, the two muscle men came around to the back to open the hatch. The knife wielding guy with a droopy mustache and a ponytail reached in to grab the chain between Steve's leg shackles and dragged him forward. Struggling to keep his balance as he was extracted from the SUV, Steve prepared to fight if the opportunity arose. Before he could make any move, the other man reached in to take hold of his cuffed wrists. He pulled Steve forward and hauled him the rest of the way out of the bed of the truck. The big bald gorilla of a man steadied him on his feet as they removed him from the Suburban and the head man stepped up to face Steve.

Ignoring the man in front of him, Steve looked around the area, getting the lay of the land. There was a modest house in the clearing with a concrete block structure off to the right. The road that they came in on was the only access to the clearing and a large propane tank was the only other object in the clearing. Above them the tree canopy was closing in over them…making this clearing difficult to see from the air. It was a very secluded site, perfect for keeping a prisoner safe from prying eyes.

"If you are plotting an escape McGarrett, then you are a fool. There is no way you are getting free," Mr. X spoke, bringing Steve's attention back to the man before him. "We have the perfect place to keep you secure." He gestured toward the concrete building. "It is not Halawa but it will do."

Suddenly things began to fall into place. Steve's memories flashed back to last year when they had arrested the Alverez brothers for drug dealing and hiring a man to kill him. The picture of the Alverez brother's cousin that Jenna Kaye had provided came back to Steve in a rush.

"Arantes," Steve said flatly finally putting a name to the face.

"Very good McGarrett," Santos Arantes stated with a pleased nod. "I am impressed."

"Well don't be, you are not going to get the Governor to exchange me for your cousins," Steve said coldly. "Hawaii is not in the habit of negotiating with criminals. Your cousins will serve their time and not a minute less. I believe that attempted murder is a very long stay."

"But I have studied you and your team McGarrett. You do not always follow the rules. To get you back, I figure they will try anything," Arantes said smugly.

"You figure wrong," Steve snapped defiantly.

Arantes swiftly stepped closer, driving a closed fist into Steve's stomach. Steve doubled over as he struggled to catch his breath. The two goons holding him yanked him back upright. With an icy glare Steve focused on the Columbian before him, desperate to strike back.

"For you it will not matter what your team does or doesn't do. You will not live to see the outcome of my plan. I fully intend to finish the job my cousins bungled a year ago," Arantes told him. He looked at his two men. "Take him and secure him in the building we prepared. I have plans for him later but first I have a call to make."

End chapter.

**I thank you for reading. It is now going to be a race to see if Danny and the team can find Steve before Arantes carries out his plans.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I am so glad there is a site like this that lets me pretend that I do.**

**Thank you for the reviews, they are always greatly appreciated. **

Chapter 10

The two big men dragged Steve toward the concrete building as he put up some resistance. Unable to break free and realizing that he wouldn't get far in leg shackles, Steve decided to be difficult and went limp, forcing the two men to have to carry his weight the final yards to the squat structure.

The low ceiling in the 10x10 building caused the men to stoop slightly as they dumped him roughly into the room. One man picked up a pair of manacles attached to a heavy chain that was bolted into the concrete wall. He proceeded to fasten them to Steve's wrists above the handcuffs and didn't remove the cuffs until he was sure that the manacles were secure. They silently backed away from Steve and shut the door to the confining space.

Steve surged to his feet, keeping his head bent and tried to reach the door as the lock clicked loudly. He quickly discovered that the length of chain was only about five feet and he came up short of the door. There was a six inch length of heavy chain between his wrists, preventing very little freedom of motion. His captors had left the leg shackles in place so he didn't have much hope of out running anything unless he could find a way to pick the locks. He looked around the space, seeing that it was empty except for a plastic bucket in a corner and a water bottle next to it. A small smirk lit his face; it appeared his captors were giving him the minimal amount for his needs. But then Arantes did say he wasn't going to be a guest for very long.

Stretching as far as he could towards the door, he could see outside through one of the four narrow slits that were between the blocks, one in each wall. They were less than a hand span wide but he could see that the two goons were entering the house. Neither man gave a second glance back at the place where they had left their prisoner.

Turning back to the wall, Steve took the chain that attached his manacles into the wall in his hands and yanked hard. He hoped that the chain was not secured as tightly as it looked but the chain was firmly set in the concrete with heavy bolts. With sore shoulders from the effort, Steve sank down and leaned against the wall, starting to plot how he could overcome his enemies the next time they entered his prison.

*H 5-0*

As the 5-0 team drove back to headquarters, Chin's phone rang and his voice activated connection took over as he continued to driving.

"Kelly," he answered.

"Lt. Kelly, the helicopter is about to land at Kalaeloa airport. There is a private jet waiting on the tarmac."

"Get security out there immediately. That jet is not to take off and no one gets off that helicopter until HPD is there, "Chin ordered. "We are on our way."

As he signed off, Kono was all ready contacting Danny in the Camaro.

"Danny, the helicopter is landing at Kalaeloa. We have security moving in," she reported.

"Great, go there and bring back whoever is on that chopper to the office," Danny's voice came back to her. "Joe and I are going on to the office to check on the roadblocks."

"Sure thing Danny," Kono told him and ended the call as Chin increased his speed to reach the airport on the other side of the island as quickly as they could. The tension in the vehicle was stepped up a couple of notches as they both knew that if Steve wasn't on the helicopter then he was in Santos Arantes' hands and that was not good news.

When Danny reached the palace and parked his car, he bounded out of the vehicle and raced inside. Joe found himself hard pressed to keep pace with the shorter man as Danny charged up the stairs to 5-0 headquarters. Flinging open the door Danny could hear the phone ringing insistently and he grabbed the nearest cordless from its base to answer.

"Williams," he barked.

"Ah…..Detective Williams, I am so glad you are the one to answer," an accented voice replied. Danny stabbed the speaker button so Joe could listen in and made his way to the smart table to start a trace on the call. As his fingers fumbled to find the right icon to press he cursed himself for not being as skilled with the equipment as Chin or Kono. "I am calling to negotiate for Commander McGarrett's life."

"Who am I negotiating with?" Danny demanded.

"That is not important now."

"The hell it isn't," Danny sputtered. "Prove to me that you have Steve."

"What proof do you require Detective?" the voice asked. "Shall I tell you that he has no shoes? Perhaps you would like a photo of his raw and bloody wrists and ankles…..after all, Downing was not as gentle as he claimed he was with McGarrett."

"I want to talk to Steve!"

"No," the voice said firmly. "You get no proof of life at this time. You will get my demands. I expect you to release Bernardo and Javier Alverez from Halawa and put them on a plane to Columbia. You will do this by tomorrow evening."

"You know that we can't do that," Danny said looking up at Joe in concern. The trace was getting closer to finishing but was not there yet.

"5-0 has a reputation of breaking the rules. You will do as I say if you wish to get Commander McGarrett back. I will call back in two hours." The phone connection went dead abruptly and Danny looked at the table which stated that it was a call from a throw away cell that had been routed through several towers and was untraceable.

"Damn!" Danny exclaimed, slapping his hand down on the table top. His frustration level had reached a boiling point and he wanted to hit something. They had been so close at Downing's place and had come up empty. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to and he glared at Joe.

"Danny…we know he has Steve, that call confirms it. We have to figure out where he was calling from. I heard no background noises, he has to have Steve somewhere isolated, away from traffic noise," Joe said, hoping to bring Danny's focus back to the task at hand. He could see how stressed out Williams was and that would be no help to anyone if he spent all his energy looking on the bleak side of this problem. It was time to help the detective concentrate on the proactive things they could still do.

"Yes….I noticed that," Danny said coming back to the situation before him. His mind began to work on the problem as his police training had taught him. He scanned the table, bringing up the reports from the various roadblocks. "So far there has been no suspicious dark grey Suburban that has come through any of the roadblocks." He touched the table, enlarging the map to focus on the North Shore area. "They have to be somewhere up here, between these roadblocks."

Joe looked at the area that Danny was indicating. There was a lot of forested area with small pockets of population scattered around.

"It looks pretty spread out, not heavily populated," he observed.

"Yea, it is a lot of land to cover and places where we won't get much clear vision from the air," Danny agreed. "We don't have a lot of time to work with."

Joe felt his own concern grow as he considered how difficult it would be to search the area. He had promised John McGarrett he would look after his son and now it appeared he might not keep that promise to his old friend.

"We need to keep focused Danny," he told the younger man. He didn't like adding the next part but he had to make sure that Williams was looking at the whole picture. "You do realize that Arantes has no intention of trading Steve for his cousins, don't you?"

"I get that Joe," Danny said tightly. "I get what a vendetta entails. Arantes plans to kill Steve but he thinks I am stupid enough to free his cousins. We need to let him think that we're buying what he is selling if it gives Steve more time." He ran one hand trough his hair, hoping they could make this work to their advantage. He met Joe's eyes frankly. "We let him think his cousins are going to be released and meanwhile we go in and get Steve out. I don't care if Arantes ends up dead or not when this is all over."

Joe nodded a small tight smile on his face.

"Good, we are on the same page," he approved. "Now let's get busy and try to eliminate all the places that Arantes can't be hiding. The man is smart; he is going to be somewhere very private."

The phone rang again, this time Danny's cell phone.

"Yea Chin, what do you have for me?"

"We have Downing and two of his people. No Steve," Chin reported.

"Okay, bring them in. Arantes called me, he has Steve. We need to find him quickly," Danny informed him.

End chapter.

**Thank you so much for reading. The search is on and time is getting shorter.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. All my pleading and begging has not softened CBS' heart and they insist on keeping all rights.**

**Thanks so much for the support. I really do appreciate all of you. Let's see if we can get the team more information so they can find Steve.**

Chapter 11

"We're on our way there," Chin told Danny and disconnected. He met his cousin's eyes and then nodded towards the three prisoners who were seated in the back of a police van. HPD had taken the pilots from the helicopter and jet for questioning but the three passengers on the copter were ready to go to 5-0 headquarters. "Arantes called Danny, he has Steve. Maybe these three can give us some idea where he was taking Steve," he told her. Stepping over to the van, Chin tapped the window and the driver lowered the glass. "Take them to 5-0, we'll follow," he instructed.

"Yes sir," the driver answered while his partner nodded.

Chin and Kono quickly got into Chin's Traverse and followed the police van into traffic. It had surprised Chin that Downing and his crew had put up very little resistance when HPD and airport security had surrounded the helicopter when it landed. The ease of the surrender caused Chin to suspect that the kidnapper was counting on no one being left alive to tie him to McGarrett's abduction. A man like him was bound to have high-priced legal representation available to him and felt confident that he could side-step all charges. It was obvious Downing figured Steve would not be alive long.

"Why did Arantes call Danny? Was it to brag?" Kono asked; the puzzlement was clear on her face.

"Danny didn't elaborate but I'm betting it's to get his cousins out of Halawa. If he only wanted revenge we'd have found Steve's body right away," Chin replied.

"We can't get those two released," Kono protested.

"Of course we can't," Chin agreed. "And given what we know of vendettas, it's not likely that Arantes plans to do a straight up exchange anyway."

Kono bit her lower lip, considering what Chin had told her. She did not like how this was shaping up for the boss and it really was raising her anxiety level. The bad guys always seemed one step ahead of them and they needed a break in the case. Pulling out her phone she ran down her contact list.

"I'm calling Kamekona, maybe he's heard something….anything," she explained to Chin.

"Good plan," he approved.

"Aloha little sister," Kamekona's voice greeted her.

"Hey brah, we know that Arantes has Steve. Please tell me you've heard something about where this guy has set up shop," she asked, getting right to the point.

"I don't have much, this dude is one sneaky bruddah," Kamekona said apologetically. "No one wants to talk about this guy. We know he isn't here in town. Someone said there are some suspicious haoles up around Kawela. That's all I got."

"That's better than nothing, thanks a lot Kamekona," Kono told him.

" 'A'ole pilikia," he answered and hung up.

"He says there are some strangers up around Kawela. Looks like we should concentrate on the North Shore," she reported.

"Makes sense, the Suburban was headed that way," Chin nodded. "Only problem is the North Shore has lots of strangers, the surf brings them in."

"True but I don't think these guys are there for the waves. That will help single them out," Kono pointed out.

"Good point," Chin approved. "We'll bring Danny and Joe up to speed as soon as we're back." He could see the anxiety in her eyes. "Hey….we'll find Steve."

"Yea…sure we will," she responded remotely, staring ahead at the van. "Do you think those three will be able to tell us anything that will help?"

"Don't know," Chin answered honestly. "I figure that Downing distances himself from his clients as much as possible. I think he can counter Stella's accusations; she was only hired to distract Michael. Maybe Martine can link him to Steve's abduction but a good lawyer can explain that."

"We'll make the charges stick," Kono swore under her breath. "One way or the other we'll put them away."

"Count on it," Chin promised.

Upon arriving at 5-0, Chin and the HPD officers ushered the prisoners upstairs, detaining Margot and Frank in separate rooms while Downing was secured in the block room under the blue lights. Kono excused herself and disappeared into her office to follow up on something that had just occurred to her. None of the others questioned what she was up too. Joe followed Danny into the interrogation room where Chin waited. The ex-SEAL waited by the door as the two 5-0 members confronted their prisoner.

"Mr. Downing, you have a lot of questions to answer," Danny said moving in first.

"Listen….you've made a mistake. My name is Tyler Mathison, I'm an antiques dealer. My wife and my partner were on vacation with me on your lovely island. I have no idea who this Downing is," the man protested.

"We know who you really are, no point in denying it Downing," Chin said confidently, approaching Downing from the other side. "And we know that you arranged for the abduction of Steve McGarrett."

"I want to speak with an attorney. You can't question me like this. I demand you let me call my lawyer," Downing sputtered.

"You get to speak with an attorney when we say you can," Danny shot back. "We're 5-0, we do things differently here. What you want takes a back seat to what we want." He gave the seated man his best impression of a Steve McGarrett smirk. "And we want answers."

"I cannot help you gentlemen. I have no idea who this Downing person is. Check my papers…my name is Tyler Mathison," Downing bluffed knowing his fake ID was unbreakable. All his other false personas were safely hidden under the false bottom of Margot's cosmetic bag. Any proof of his real identity was safely locked away in a bank in Switzerland.

"You are Nicholas Downing and you engineered the kidnapping of 5-0's task force leader, Steve McGarrett," Danny slowly spelled out to the man. "We found his phone, boots and blood at the house that your helicopter lifted off from near Ka'a'awa earlier today."

Downing shook his head in denial but before he could speak, Joe stepped away from the door and came forward. Downing watched him curiously, he had made a point of learning who was on the task force so he knew who Williams and Kelly were but this older, bald man was a mystery.

"Doesn't really matter who he claims he is word is all ready out that we have Downing in custody. I'm sure there are all ready calls coming in from other countries to have the Governor extradite him to their jurisdiction. At least two of those countries have the death penalty for facilitating the kidnapping of members of the royal family. You've made some powerful enemies Mr. Downing and they want first crack at you," Joe informed the seated man.

Downing turned a rather sickly shade of grey under the blue lights. He swallowed hard and looked at the three men standing around him.

"Perhaps the Governor can be persuaded to ignore some of these requests if Downing cooperated," Joe continued, looking at Chin and Danny.

A low, long sigh escaped from Downing. His bluff was looking weaker by the moment but he was not ready to let go of his story. The thought of extradition to a couple of the smaller countries who did not follow the guidelines for human rights had him worried. That should not be likely with the United States policies for extradition but he did know that 5-0 was known for not playing by the rules.

"If…..I were this guy…..what do you want to know?" he asked.

"Who your buyer was and where did he take McGarrett?" Chin spoke up quickly.

"If…..and I'm not saying I am…I would tell you that I would make a point of never knowing my client's names. As long as the money is good it doesn't matter. Once an acquisition is out of my possession, I would not care where it was taken," Downing said choosing his words carefully, trying not to confirm who he was.

With a low rumble of rage in his chest, Danny reached out and grabbed Downing by the shirt front and pulled him upward as far as the restraints would allow. He went nose to nose with the man, his eyes blazing.

"That "acquisition" as you call him is a human being and my friend," he hissed. "Quit playing stupid and answer our questions or I'll shoot you myself."

End chapter.

**So it doesn't look like Downing is as much help as we hoped. But then again…he does have to pay for kidnapping Steve no matter what. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you share your thoughts with me.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I loved last Monday night….sure wish I could write a script like that.**

**Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 12

"Easy Danny," Chin said placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. He sounded a lot calmer than he felt but knew that shooting Downing would only lead to greater trouble. "I'm sure that Mr. Downing can see that not cooperating is not in his best interests."

Danny drew back a bit but did not let go of Downing's shirt. He took great satisfaction in seeing a look of worry in the man's eyes rather than the smugness that had been present earlier.

"Well he's wasting my time. I need to call the Governor and get the wheels in motion to make sure that Downing gets his just punishment," Danny stated, his gaze boring into Downing's before releasing his grip on the man.

"Okay…..okay, I don't know what I can tell you but I'll try to help," Downing caved in. "I can't give you Mr. X's real name, I never wanted to know."

"What can you tell us about him? You're a smart man, fill us in," Chin said firmly. "How did he contact you?"

"He's a Latino and so were the two men with him. I would guess he was from South America; I just didn't get a Spanish vibe from him. He reached me first on the internet and when I felt it was safe I provided him with a disposable cell phone number," Downing responded.

Chin and Joe exchanged meaningful glances as Danny pulled a photo from his pocket. They could see what Danny was going to ask next. The blonde detective stuck the photo in front of Downing.

"Is this Mr. X?" he demanded.

"Yes….that is him," Downing confirmed with a swallow. He was tempted to ask the man's identity but figured that in this case ignorance was truly bliss.

Danny looked at Chin and Joe, seeing that they were thinking the same thing he was. They had believed it was Santos Arantes who had Steve from the beginning but now it was confirmed.

"I really do need to speak to the Governor," Danny sighed. "We need to mobilize on this right now and see if he can give us an assist in making Arantes believe we've sprung his cousins. Chin, put this character somewhere secure, we may have more questions for him later."

"Sure thing Danny," Chin answered as Danny headed out the door with Joe right on his heels.

As Danny reached their offices, he saw he did not need to make that call to the Governor after all. The big man was waiting in Steve's office while two of his men were hanging around just outside the room. Kono was heading towards the exit and relief flooded over her face as she saw the new arrivals approaching her.

"Danny….Governor Denning just arrived, I was just coming to find you," she said quickly. "He knows we have Downing."

"Thanks Kono," Danny said and entered the room without a spare glance for the two men guarding the door. Joe and Kono followed him inside. "Hello Governor, I was just going to call you sir."

"I understand you have a high profile suspect in custody, Detective Williams. I would have thought that a call to me would have come before questioning the man," Denning stated seriously.

"I see your point sir but time is getting short to find Steve. I felt any information that Nicolas Downing could provide on his client needed to be discovered as fast as possible," Danny explained, not getting upset. "Downing has confirmed it was Santos Arantes who paid him to kidnap Steve. He claims he has no idea where Arantes has taken him."

"Do you believe him?"

"Yes. I believe that Downing makes very little effort to know who hires him as long as the money is good."

"So we are now no closer to finding Commander McGarrett?" Denning inquired.

"Not because of Downing, no sir. But the good news is he's very popular with several countries who would like to put him on trial. And we can link him to the plot to kidnap Michael Tremain so we can get this guy locked away and look good doing it," Danny said hoping to appease the Governor.

Denning nodded as he processed the information. He often disliked McGarrett's methods but he was concerned for the man's safety. And he had to admit that Downing's arrest would look good on his own political record.

"So what do we do now?" he asked pointedly. "And who is this Santos Arantes?"

"Santos Arantes is a Colombian drug lord who last year supplied his cousins, Bernardo and Javier Alverez with cocaine when they set up shop on Oahu last year. Their first move was to hire a hit man to kill Steve in hopes of shutting down 5-0. They almost succeeded but we arrested them and they are currently our guests in Halawa," Danny informed him. "Now Arantes has Steve, hoping to force us to release his cousins."

With a shake of his head, Denning reacted to that last statement first.

"We do not bargain with drug dealers," he stated firmly. This whole situation bothered him and he refused to be manipulated by a drug kingpin, even for McGarrett's life. He vaguely remembered the incident making the news last year but Governor Jamison had not consulted him about the circumstances. He was familiar with how many of these drug cartels dealt with those who stood in their way. There was very little hope that Commander McGarrett would be found alive.

"I am not asking you to bargain with Arantes. We are exploring other ways to find him and rescue Steve but I'm thinking that if we make it look like we'll release the Alverez boys we can buy McGarrett some time," Danny told him, not caring that he was very close to pleading with the Governor. He had to try anything he could to increase the odds in getting to Steve while he was still alive. Danny refused to believe that it might all ready be too late for his partner.

"Do we have any leads where this Santos Arantes might be staying on the island? Any clue?" the Governor asked, not sure he wanted to be involved in any scheme to fake the release of prisoners held in Halawa. This could blow up in his face and ruin any chance of being re-elected once he finished filling Jamison's term. He was beginning to suspect it wasn't just McGarrett who didn't follow protocol but rather the whole team. It did not make him happy that Lori Weston was tied up with ICE on the Big Island and could not be his eyes and ears on this job.

"We have every reason to believe that Arantes is somewhere up on the North Shore, in a secluded area," Kono spoke up. "I have been going through recent rental leases in that area and have several listings that could fit the bill. I also ran a check on recent property sales." She smiled apologetically at Danny and held out a few sheets of paper. "There is one that looks very much like what Arantes would want. I just found these and was not able to tell Danny any of this yet," she told the Governor.

"Good work Kono," Danny said with heartfelt praise. He looked over the sheets that Kono had handed him. He read the information on the listing that Kono had highlighted that was in the Kawela area. The fact that the Governor was looking at him expectantly faded into the background as he focused on this new lead. "This is in the middle of nowhere, isn't it?"

"It's in the Ko'olau foothills, in a pretty rough area with few neighbors," Kono replied.

Chin had entered the office and went to look over Danny's shoulder at the printout.

"That's some dense jungle area. We won't be able to see anything from the air and it's going to be dark in a few hours," he observed.

"We need to move now," Joe chimed in.

Denning could see the team had forgotten about him as they began to plan their attack on this place. He could not fault them for the fact that they were immersed in their plans to rescue McGarrett. It was time to let them do what they were best at.

"I will leave you to your work people. Good luck and let me know when you have Arantes in custody. I hope this means we do not need to concoct a fake prison escape to recover Commander McGarrett," he announced.

"Yes sir," Danny said quickly. He did not have time to play nice with the Governor when they had a lead on Steve. He turned back to his team. "Okay, I need to see a map; we have to figure out the best way into this place."

*H 5-0*

In the seclusion of the property that Arantes had set up on the north part of the island, the drug dealer and his two enforcers headed out to the concrete block building. Before he made a second call to 5-0 to see if they would release his cousins, he planned to exact some revenge on McGarrett for their incarceration.

Arantes sent one man into the small space first, figuring the ex-SEAL had had plenty of time to plot an attack. The sound of grunts from his bald soldier confirmed that assumption and he quickly sent the other man in to help subdue McGarrett before he followed him in. It was his plan to make the 5-0 leader pay for trying to escape and he would enjoy making the man suffer greatly before he died.

End chapter.

**Things are moving along. We have the team closing in and we have Arantes turning nastier. Whump is coming up. Please share your thoughts. Thanks for reading.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. But I love the show and can't stop thinking about it.**

**Thank you for all the support you have given me on this story. I feel a bit guilty for being so rough on Steve, after the news of this weekend. Please remember that I only write fiction and would never wish any of this to happen to real people. **

Chapter 13

Steve was waiting in the gloom of his prison when he heard the approach of several people. Getting to his feet, he grabbed the plastic bucket in both hands, wishing it had a handle to extend his reach. He positioned himself as far behind the door as his chains allowed. Silently he waited for the first man to enter.

When the large bald man cautiously moved into the small space, Steve attacked with the bucket. The sound of his chains clanking alerted the guard seconds before the plastic connected with his head and he was able to partially deflect the blow. With an angry grunt he turned on Steve and charged.

Steve tried to get the short chain between his wrists around his opponent's throat but the larger man was a tough combatant. Using every skill that the military had taught him, Steve struggled to subdue the guy before the other man could hurry inside. With luck Steve grabbed at the man's baggy pants, one hand getting in a side pocket where his fingers felt a small, metal item. He closed his fingers around the object just as the other man took hold of him and dragged him off the bald man. In short order the two men had overpowered Steve and held him still by his upper arms.

Arantes entered the tight area as his two enforcers roughly held a struggling McGarrett in their grasp. Wishing to make sure his prisoner was aware there was a penalty for attacking his men, Arantes stepped forward, stopped in front of McGarrett and viciously delivered a one-two punch to Steve's stomach. He followed that with several hard strikes to McGarrett's face, splitting his lip. Grabbing his captive's hair, he yanked Steve's head up so he could look him in the eye.

"You are a foolish man to try and escape, it is not possible," Arantes growled.

Steve glared back at the Colombian, feeling one eye begin to swell shut and he could taste the blood from his lip as he ran his tongue over it.

"Go to hell," he snarled back.

Arantes laughed as he released Steve's hair and rammed his fist once more into McGarrett's jaw with teeth rattling force.

"I was told you were a stubborn man Mr. McGarrett."

"Lt. Commander McGarrett," Steve ground out through clenched teeth.

"Of course…..Commander," Arantes nodded with a mocking smirk. "I will be sure to carve that in your skin so they can identify your body."

Steve allowed his two captors to support his weight as he brought both feet up to kick into Arantes' left leg. With a howl of pain the drug lord went to the ground as both feet slammed into his leg just below the knee. Instantly bounding back to his feet, Arantes slammed his fists repeatedly into McGarrett's body and head until his victim sagged in the grasp of the two men restraining him. Even as he struggled to remain conscious, Steve kept his fist tightly closed around the prize he had pulled from the one man's pocket. Panting….Arantes glared at the figure that hung between his enforcers.

"You must be suicidal McGarrett and I will make sure that your death is very painful. No one attacks me and lives to tell about it," he vowed. Bringing out his cell phone, he indicated that his pony-tailed assistant should lift Steve's head. Arantes swiftly snapped a few pictures of Steve's face. "Put him in the corner, we have a delivery to prepare for. We are done with him right now," he ordered and walked out. The two men dumped Steve in a corner and followed their boss out, locking the door behind them.

With a groan, Steve slowly sat up, leaning against the block wall. He drew his knees up and placed his left arm on them, resting his forehead on it for a moment. His whole body ached and his jaw was tender. Swelling of his left eye had almost completely shut it closed and it hurt to take deep breaths. Remembering the object in his right fist, he raised his head and opened his fingers to see what he had managed to steal from the man. Focusing on the item in his hand, a slow, satisfied smile spread across his battered face. He had taken a small Swiss Army knife off of the man and while it only was two inches long, the sight of it made his spirits sore. He now had something that he could pick the locks of his shackles and even though it was small, it was a weapon. He was not going to let this end without putting up a fight.

*H 5-0*

Inside 5-0 headquarters the ringing of the phone made everyone freeze for a moment. They had been going over the maps, trying to get some visual information to assist in the assault on the property that they believed was where Steve was being held. Instructions had all ready been given to HPD and they were putting a strike force together, just waiting for 5-0 to give them a green light. Danny signaled to Chin to start a trace while he pressed the speaker button on the phone to let everyone listen in.

"Williams," he snapped out.

"Detective Williams….I have not seen any announcement that the Alverez brothers have been released," the familiar cold voice came out of the speaker. "Perhaps you felt I was not serious?"

"You have not given us any proof that McGarrett is still alive. I'm not a fool, the Alverez boys go nowhere if McGarrett is dead," Danny countered.

"I will forward a recent photo to you. Your Commander is still alive but that will not be the case if you do not follow my instructions," Arantes informed them.

A signal from the table indicated that there was an incoming email and Kono quickly went to work opening the message as Chin continued his efforts to trace the call. A small gasp escaped the young woman as she saw the photo of a battered and bloodied Steve McGarrett appeared before them.

"You dirty son of a bitch," Danny growled. "He looks dead." His stomach did a slow roll over as he studied the photo.

"I promise you that he is still breathing. The Commander is a very belligerent hostage, he needed some reminding as to who is in charge."

"The Governor will not deal for a dead hostage," Danny stalled as Chin kept working the computer.

"Use your imagination Detective….time is running short." With that said, the line went dead. Danny shot Chin an anxious look.

"Well?" he questioned.

"He had the call bouncing all over the place. It's definitely a throw away cell phone but the signal did lead me up to the North Shore," Chin replied. "I can triangulate the signal to the area that the house that Kono found is located. I would say it is a safe bet that he is holding Steve there."

Danny stared down at the photo, wishing that Steve could give us some clue as to where he was. The picture was dark…..not much light in the room he was being imprisoned in. There appeared to be a block wall behind Steve's head and that sparked a thought in Danny's tired brain.

"Kono, what do we know about that property?" he asked suddenly. "What is all on it?"

"Uh….there is a three bedroom ranch house …and a cement block storage building," she replied with a smile appearing on her face as she looked up from the printout. She too saw what Danny had noticed.

"That's where they are holding him," Danny stated firmly. "Look at the blocks behind Steve's head. He is not in a basement; he is in a storage shed."

"You are right," Joe agreed as he looked closer at the photo. He glanced out the window. "It's going to be dark soon, we have to move now."

"Yes we do. Chin is HPD ready?" Danny asked.

"They are."

"Then let's go get Steve out of this mess," Danny ordered and they all headed out of the office.

*H 5-0*

As the light became even dimmer in the block building, Steve worked the small blade of the knife as a lock pick. He had freed his ankles quickly but was finding the smaller locks on his wrist manacles to be more challenging. Patiently he worked the left wrist until he heard a distinctive click. With his left arm free of its restraint, he swiftly turned his attention to the right and soon both his wrists were free. Tossing the chains as far from him as possible, Steve rubbed his sore wrists and then got to his feet.

Crossing the small room, he stopped in front of the door to look it over. There was no inside handle and no access to the lock from this side. He shoved against the door but it would not budge. Slamming his hands against the metal door in frustration, he turned his attention to the hinges. It very quickly became apparent that the hinges were sturdy and the small blade of the knife would not be able to move the pins that held the hinges to the door. Anger rolled over Steve as he looked helplessly around the room for some other type of escape. He was so close to freedom and yet there was still another barrier he needed to get through.

The rumble of a truck engine drew him to the slit in the wall to see what was happening. A large truck followed by a blue mini-van pulled into the yard and parked next to the Suburban. Five men piled out of the van and went to the back doors of the truck. They were joined by two rough looking men who came from the truck cab. Steve noticed that they all looked to be Hispanic, obviously Arantes didn't hire local. The men went to work unloading crates from the truck and carrying them to the house.

Steve clutched the small knife tightly, knowing he had to avoid ten men now in his attempt to escape. The knowledge that Arantes was not only carrying out his vendetta but also setting up shop just added to the urgency that Steve escape soon. He was not going to let the Colombian turn Oahu into his personal drugstore. Sooner or later the man would be back out to the building and Steve would be ready.

End chapter.

**We are getting closer to the final action. Steve is no longer helpless and the team has figured out where to search. How will it play out? Please keep reading. Thank you.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I wish I did but I don't see the rights coming up for sale anytime soon.**

**Thank you for the reviews, they are appreciated. **

Chapter 14

The arrival of the truck bearing his cocaine only managed to improve Santos Arantes' mood a few degrees. The phone call to 5-0 headquarters had not produced the results he had expected. Before arriving in Hawaii, Arantes had spent time studying his enemies and from what he learned, he had believed that the 5-0 team would do anything for each other. The reports he had been able to access, both official and unofficial from when McGarrett had been arrested for the former Governor's murder had shown him a team that would fight to free their leader. Originally he had hoped that his cousins could settle their differences with McGarrett inside Halawa but they had not been able to make contact with the man and then a week later, the Commander had managed to escape. Arantes had been surprised when shortly thereafter the head of 5-0 had been cleared of all charges and the task force was once again in place. Having 5-0 once again in business was going to make establishing his drug trade difficult.

That development had forced Arantes to begin to plan a new strategy for taking down 5-0. He would not tolerate letting this group continue after they had declared war on his family. Discovering that Nicholas Downing was plotting a kidnapping and 5-0 was involved in the target's protection had offered him the perfect way to break up the task force and give him the lever he needed to free his cousins. Everything that the 5-0 team members had done to save their leader from murder charges made Arantes believe they would once again do what was necessary to ransom him. The fact that they had not immediately followed his demands had driven him to the point of anger and he wanted to strike out at them. Perhaps they questioned his declaration that he would free McGarrett once Bernardo and Javier were released from prison, but he had gambled that they would not take the chance of being wrong. The fact that they were not cooperating sent his temper flaring higher.

Keeping control of his anger had always been an issue for Santos. Once his rage had spiked, he usually needed some type of physical release to calm himself. Unfortunately there had been no time to set up any type of gym or other exercise area in this hidden retreat. With his men busy dividing the cocaine up into smaller shipments to give to the dealers, he was left with no sparring partner to work off his stress. A nasty smile spread over his features as he realized that he did have one person who he could vent his anger on. Grabbing the key to the concrete building he headed out to confront the source of all this pent up anger. Before leaving the house he snapped a holstered gun to his belt.

The shadows were stretching longer as the sun sank ever lower in the western sky as Arantes crossed the yard to the low structure near the edge of the property. Inside the building, Steve could hear the footsteps as a person approached his prison. Moving to the slit in the wall, he could see Arantes coming towards him and his eyes lit up when he could see that the man was alone. Opening the small knife to the larger of the two blades, Steve took note that there was a gun on Arantes' belt. He considered the odds and found that the low ceiling in this building and the element of surprise would play in Steve's favor. But he needed to make sure he struck quickly and not give the drug lord the chance to pull his weapon, and then he would stand a fighting chance.

Pressing against the wall behind the door, Steve waited for Arantes to unlock it. Santos paused outside, slowly slid the key into the lock and turned it. He was still feeling the anger coursing through his veins as he pushed the door open but he also remembered that McGarrett had put up a fight the last time they entered this room. There was no possible way he would fall victim to the same attack with the plastic bucket. Easing the door open slowly, Arantes slid to the side away from the door, his eyes searching the dim interior for the Commander while his hand found the butt of his handgun. He would not let himself be within the reach of the chains on his prisoner.

When Steve calculated that Arantes was far enough into the room, he launched into action, pushing the door into his enemy. In spite of being prepared, Arantes was still caught off guard as the door swung towards him. McGarrett was not supposed to able to reach the door….. he should not be free. Arantes sidestepped the door and faced his attacker as Steve charged him with the small knife in his hand. Steve managed to cut Arantes' cheek with the small blade before the drug dealer bent low and twisted away, attempting to draw his gun. Steve grabbed for his opponent's wrist to deflect the aim of the gun and managed to knock it from Arantes' grasp. The knife also fell as it took two hands to fight off the Colombian.

Steve had a height advantage over the shorter man but in the low structure that was negated and Arantes was very fit and strong. Both men lost their footing and fell to the ground, wrestling for the upper hand. The struggle continued and even though Steve was more skilled in hand to hand combat, Arantes was no stranger to fighting and the beating that Steve had taken earlier along with his weakened state began to hamper the 5-0 leader. Arantes shoved McGarrett onto his back and straddled him, one forearm to Steve's throat while he reached for his fallen gun.

*H5-0*

The parade of vehicles pulled to the side of the rutted road silently. There were no flashing lights or sirens to announce their arrival on this desolate road on the north end of the island. The occupants of the vehicles exited them and began to don protective vests and other gear. Grabbing their weapons, the group assembled around Danny Williams to get their instructions. Chin, Kono and Joe stood behind him as he addressed the ten HPD officers who completed the strike force.

"All right, this is how this is going down," Danny announced. "Santos Arantes bought the house at the end of this road." He indicated the narrow dirt road that branched off of the road they were parked on. "We know there is a house and a concrete building on the property. We believe that Arantes is holding Steve McGarrett prisoner in the block building. We are aware that there were two other men with this character when he took Steve but that does not mean that there aren't others with them. Proceed with caution. Once we are in position, I will give you the word to move in. No one makes a move until I call it, got that?" Every head nodded at his instructions.

"Chin, you and Kono take five men and head down this road a ways before heading through the underbrush to the house. We want to come at them from two angles like we discussed. Joe and I will take the others up this road and block off the exit." He looked at the serious faces in front of him. "These guys are Colombian drug cartel members, they are dangerous and they will shoot first so protect yourselves. Joe and I will concentrate on freeing McGarrett, the rest of you take the suspects at the house. Be smart and be sharp."

"Gottcha Danny," Chin responded. "Come on Kono, let's move." He headed down the road to the area that they had determined earlier would lead them in to the house. Kono and the other five officers followed him.

Danny and Joe watched them move out and then took their group up the road towards the house. Danny let Joe take the lead, knowing that the man had more experience in jungle work. He also knew that Steve's mentor could check to make sure that they were not tripping any alarms or booby traps that might have been set to protect the place.

As they walked cautiously in the gloom of the heavy tree cover, Danny gripped his weapon tighter and felt the tension settle in his shoulders. His mind kept replaying the vision of the photo that Arantes had forwarded to them and his stomach tightened at how Steve had appeared. The bloodied face of his partner made him worry that they might be too late. If that was the case, Danny had every intention of making Arantes pay for what he had done.

Joe came to a halt a few feet ahead of him and motioned everyone to move off the drive and into the heavier brush on the side. Everyone did as instructed as he walked back to join them, all of them able to see that the tree cover was becoming lighter and there was open space ahead.

"The house is just ahead," Joe said in a low voice as Danny halted beside him. "I could see three vehicles parked by the house. That could mean that we're facing at least twelve people. Downing informed us that Arantes had the two guys with him and if they could have brought in seven in the van and maybe two in the truck. Of course there could be more, so be alert."

"Got it," Danny nodded. He looked at the others. "We're going in now before we lose all the light." He tapped the communication link in his ear. "Chin, Kono….is your team in place?"

"Almost Danny," Chin replied sounding winded. "We had some rough terrain to move through." There was a pause for several seconds as Danny could hear brush snapping. Then Chin spoke again. "Okay, we are in position at the edge of the property. We can see the house."

"Good," Danny answered. "We are ready to move in. Joe thinks that we may be facing at least twelve suspects, there are three vehicles we can see from our position."

He could see that Joe had the team spread out to be able to move in from several points. He nodded in satisfaction and then turned to focus on the concrete building off to his right.

"We are ready too," Chin confirmed as he received a nod from Kono. Their team was also spread out, ready to move in from several angles.

"Then let's go," Danny ordered quietly. "Let's go get Steve."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the sound of a gunshot rang out from inside the block building.

End Chapter.

**I know….I know another cliff hanger. I am addicted to them, what can I say? Please help me out and review, I may need the inspiration since I have a fight to write. Thank you so much for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I am so thankful that the powers that do, are giving it a third season.**

**This chapter gave me fits. I have difficulty writing action scenes…..especially with lots of people in them. I do hope that you can make sense of this.**

Chapter 15

As he held McGarrett down, Arantes' right hand reached for his gun. His fingers closed on the grip of the weapon and he drew it, aiming for Steve's head. Grasping the arm at his throat with both hands, Steve pushed up and twisted it just as Arantes tried to fire the weapon. The effort was enough to send the bullet digging into the concrete block beyond the men and Steve continued to push the man off of him. Steve drove his knee up into Arantes' groin and shoved, sending the Colombian rolling to one side. Quickly straddling the man, McGarrett chopped at his opponent's wrist, forcing him to release the gun. Aware that the other men most likely heard the gunshot, Steve increased his efforts to subdue Arantes before the men came to their boss' aid.

Now it was Arantes who knew he was fighting for his life. He could see the cold determination on McGarrett's face and he doubled his effort to break free of the ex-SEAL's grasp. The panic in Arantes' eyes gave Steve a boost of adrenalin and he smiled tightly as he kept the man beneath him.

*H 5-0*

Outside the block building, the 5-0 teams and the HPD group began to emerge from the underbrush at Danny's command. They moved towards the house from both directions and were ready as Arantes' men burst out of the house in response to the sound of the gunshot in the block building. The men opened fire as they saw Danny and Joe's group heading toward the front door. The law enforcement group dove for cover behind trees that dotted the property and fired back.

Chin and Kono's group rounded the corner of the house and shouted out orders to drop weapons and surrender. Three of the Colombians spun around to fire at the new threat and the other four took cover between the vehicles parked close by. The last two to exit the house were still on the steps and when the shooting started, Arantes' two head men ducked back inside. Danny's group took advantage of the confusion and advanced closer, bringing down two of the men who had remained in the open. The third man saw he was outnumbered and joined the others between the vehicles.

Chin had seen the two big men duck back into the house and drew Kono back in the direction they had just come from. They paused at the corner of the house.

"Sgt. Reed, coordinate with Duke. Two went back inside…..Kono and I are going after them," he shouted to the leader of his HPD squad. Duke Lukela was heading up the HPD officers with Danny and Joe. Reed nodded and moved his men to the protection of some trees that were not far from the parked vehicles. Chin then led Kono quickly back around the house to the rear entrance, keeping close to the building's side to present a more difficult target to someone at a window.

"What now Cuz?" Kono asked when they paused a few feet from the back steps. "Do we go in or wait to see if they come out?"

"We have to go in," Chin decided. "We don't know how many are in there but we can't let them sit in there and pick our guys off. Stay alert." He tapped his earpiece. "Danny…..we're going in the house after the two that ducked inside. Watch out, they may come back out the front."

"Okay Chin," Danny responded. He glanced at the block building from the protected spot behind two large tree trunks. There had been no second shot from the structure and no sign of whoever was inside it. He had no idea if Steve was alive or dead. "Be careful, we don't know who else is in that house."

"I hear you. Get to Steve," Chin answered. "We'll take care of these guys." He looked at Kono and nodded his head towards the door. "Let's go."

Danny looked at Joe who was sharing his protective trees. The older man nodded his head, having heard the whole exchange.

"I'm betting Arantes is in there," Joe said jerking his head towards the block building. "And if he shot Steve, we would be under fire right now. I'm thinking he's occupied at the moment," he added with a ghost of a smile.

"Go Super SEAL," Danny muttered under his breath. He watched Duke lead the HPD group cautiously forward, firing as they went. Sporadic gunfire came back at them as they moved from tree to brush, alternating with Reed's group to keep the Colombians off balance. Thus far there were only the two bodies on the ground to show for all the shooting. "I'm going to get Steve, watch that front door incase Chin flushes those two big guys," he said in a louder voice and got up to move.

*H 5-0*

When the sound of gunfire outside reached the two men struggling inside the concrete cell, Steve's battered face broke into a huge grin.

"It sounds like your operation has been discovered," he panted as he used every ounce of strength left to hold the man down. It was difficult to see in the deepening gloom inside the room and he could just make out the gun lying a few feet away to the right of Arantes' head. At the moment it was too risky to let go and reach for the weapon.

Trying to lever McGarrett off of him, Arantes left hand pushed into the dirt and felt a small object down near his left hip. Recognizing it as the small knife that McGarrett had attacked him with, he closed his hand around it.

"They won't be in time to save you," Arantes snarled as he drove the knife blade into Steve's side and then withdrew it.

A low groan escaped Steve as the pain shot up his side but he maintained his hold on his adversary. Thankfully the blade was small and Steve knew that it couldn't have done too much damage but he could not withstand multiple stabbings and take this guy out. He slammed one fist into the Colombian's face, feeling the rush of satisfaction as nose cartilage snapped under his fingers.

"You'll need more than that toothpick," he grunted and stuck again.

Gathering all his remaining strength as the blood poured down his face, Arantes shoved his right hand up against Steve's throat and stabbed with his left one more time, higher up the Commander's chest. Steve rolled to his left, grabbing for the gun above him and then continued to roll another few feet. Blocking out the pain of the two stab wounds, he pushed to his knees and brought the gun to bear on his opponent.

"Drop the knife," he ordered harshly.

At that moment there was more gunfire and then the shouted command for weapons to be dropped was heard from outside. The following quiet told Arantes that his plans were collapsing around him and a surge of anger roared through him. He lunged for Steve, aiming the small knife at McGarrett's throat.

The shot echoed loudly in the small, dark space and shock spread over Santos Arantes' face as quickly as the blood spread over his shirt front. He fell forward into the dirt as Steve got to his feet and watched him take his last breath. Before he could move the door swung inward and Steve instinctively crouched and turned the gun to face a possible new threat.

"Whoa….don't shoot Steven," Danny called out quickly as he peered inside and held up his hands. "We have come to rescue you but it seems you've managed to handle things on your own."

Steve looked at his friend in surprise and slowly lowered the gun. A small, lopsided grin lit his face as he straightened up.

"I think your distraction gave me the edge Danno. Thanks for coming," he said and winced as the pain in his side increased. He clutched his right side with his left hand, attempting to stop the flow of blood.

Danny could see in the blood seeping from between his partner's fingers and how pale Steve was under the bruises and dried blood on his face. McGarrett's left eye was swollen almost completely shut.

"Well I'm relieved to find you still breathing. Looks like you could use a hospital babe," he said moving forward to give his friend some support.

"No….I'm good," Steve protested.

"Danny…is Steve okay?" Joe asked, sticking his head inside. He smiled when he saw the two moving towards the door. "Good to find you alive son."

"Good to be alive sir," Steve answered with a weak smile. "What is happening out there?"

"It is just mop up now. HPD has full control," Joe answered as he looked at Arantes' body lying in the dirt. "Is that Arantes?"

"It is," Steve replied shortly.

"Good work," Joe approved. He backed out of the doorway and let Steve emerge from his prison out into the fresh air of the darkening evening. Danny followed Steve out, keeping a close eye on his partner.

Exterior house lights had been turned on, exposing the six figures kneeling near the house, their hands secured behind their backs. Various HPD officers were watching them with Chin in charge. Three bodies were just off to the side, still in shadows.

"Danny….it was Nicholas Downing that grabbed me," Steve said suddenly. "He was leaving the island after turning me over to Arantes." He wavered slightly as he could feel his strength beginning to fade.

"We got Downing and his playmates. Easy there big guy….." Danny said quickly grabbing a swaying McGarrett. "Joe, we are going to need an ambulance, Steve should be in a hospital." He wrapped an arm around McGarrett to hold him upright.

End chapter

**There…not such a big cliff hanger this time. I hope you could follow the action. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Thanks for reading.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. But the news I keep hearing recently makes me happy and I feel that the show is in good hands.**

**Thank you all for reading and the lovely reviews that I have received. I have had some real life things that have slowed my final chapters but I will try to get them out on a weekly basis.**

Chapter 16

"I'm okay Danny," Steve argued, trying to pull away. Danny kept his arm firmly locked around McGarrett's waist.

"You are not okay Steven. Just shut up and let us get you some help. You need to sit down before you fall down," Danny instructed as he led the way towards the house.

When they were only a few feet from the building, the HPD vehicles, Chin's Traverse and the Camaro pulled into the yard and stopped nearby. A few of the men had gone to bring up the vehicles from out on the road. Kono popped out of the Camaro, smiling broadly as she came over to Danny, Steve and Joe.

"Hey Boss….good to see you," she greeted them.

"Kono, good to see you too. Nice work," Steve replied, nodding towards the prisoners.

"Aw…that was mostly HPD. Chin and I went into the house after Arantes' big boys. The guy with the ponytail thought he could surprise Chin but he was wrong. The bald guy quickly surrendered when I confronted him," she reported and her dimples deepened as her grin got bigger. "Personally I think he just didn't want to get shot by a girl." Her smile faded a bit as she got a closer look at McGarrett in the harsh lights in the yard. "Has someone called an ambulance?" she asked quickly.

"One has been called for, along with the coroner's wagon," Joe told her.

"I told you that I am fine," Steve groused but continued to lean heavily on Danny. He kept his hand pressed against his side, his fingers stained with his own blood.

"Oh shut up, if you are so fine then how about I let go and see how long you remain upright?" Danny snapped. "We're going inside until that ambulance gets here and see if we can stop that bleeding. No arguments."

"Just cooperate son, you aren't winning this one," Joe advised with a grin.

Inside Danny deposited Steve in the first chair he could find as Kono ran off to find some towels. She was back shortly with several hand towels from the bathroom and Danny moved to pull up Steve's shirt to inspect the damage. Steve swatted at Danny's hands.

"Steven, you cannot afford to lose any more blood. Be a good soldier and cooperate with me," Danny ordered patiently.

"That's sailor Danny," Steve hissed as Danny once again reached for the shirt hem, this time he let the blonde man bring the shirt up, revealing two bloody stab wounds in his side and chest. Bruising could be seen on other parts of his torso.

"You sure know how to find trouble Boss," Kono clucked in concern as she pressed a folded a towel to his side. She did not like how pale Steve had become or how much blood had all ready soaked into the shirt but tried not to show any alarm.

"I wasn't looking for it," Steve said through gritted teeth. He applied pressure to the towel with his hand and looked up at Danny. "Please tell me that you didn't release the Alverez brothers from Halawa."

"Nope, they are still locked up," Danny answered.

"And you really do have Downing in custody?"

"Yes ….told you that all ready babe. Downing and the lovely Margot as well as Frank Dorsett are all safely under lock and key. There is nothing more you need to do," Danny assured him.

"I told Downing that I would close the door to his cell personally," Steve said grimly.

"And so you shall my friend…..so you shall," Danny promised with a smile. "But right now you need to rest and let the medical people who will be here soon take care of you. We have all the bad guys and nothing more needs doing except the paperwork. I am sure you will love doing that."

Chin Ho Kelly had come in from outside as they were tending to Steve. After making sure that the prisoners were being loaded into the HPD transport, he had left Duke and Reed in charge of the mop up and had come in to check on McGarrett.

"Hey Steve…..good to see you still kicking bruddah," he said with a relieved smile. He looked at Danny. "The prisoners are being loaded and Duke is going to escort them with HPD back to town. Reed is waiting with the bodies for the coroner's wagon," he reported.

"Arantes' body is in the block building," Danny informed him.

"Joe told us," Chin acknowledged, nodding at the older man. "Two of the men went to bring him out to the others."

"Good," Danny nodded. He looked at Steve, who appeared about to rise and check on things himself. He placed a firm hand on McGarrett's shoulder and pressed down slightly. "You…..sit! Everyone is doing their job."

Steve sank back down in the chair and leaned back, holding the towel tightly in place. He was exhausted as much as he hated to admit it and the pain from the stab wounds was beginning to get the upper hand.

"Here Boss," Kono spoke up and handed him a cool, damp towel for his face. "They didn't have any ice but this should help your eye."

"Thanks Kono," Steve said gratefully. He wiped the cloth over his whole face before pressing it against his swollen eye.

"So there is still some of that nursing desire in you Cuz," Chin chuckled softly and Kono grinned back at him and shrugged.

Once the ambulance arrived, the EMT's took over and bandaged Steve's wounds and gave him a cold pack for his eye. Danny insisted on riding back to the hospital with Steve and the crew did not object when they saw the look in the blonde detective's eyes. They loaded Steve in and hit the lights and siren on the way out to the highway.

On the ride Danny quietly watched as Steve sank into unconsciousness as exhaustion got the better of the ex-SEAL. After this punishment to Steve's body, so closely following the incident in North Korea, Danny Williams was worried. Just how much abuse could one body take? How much emotional battering could one man's psyche take in such a short time span? First Wo Fat and now Santos Arantes had held Steve prisoner and taken their anger out on him. This had to have left emotional scars to go along with the physical ones the man had suffered.

Knowing that things had been growing more strained between Joe and Steve made Danny all the more concerned. His partner had huge amounts of stress piled on him not to mention the job that they needed to do on a daily basis. Danny swore that Steve was not going to have to carry this burden alone, not if he had anything to say about it.

At the hospital Danny took a seat in one of the many empty, uncomfortable waiting room chairs. It was a quiet night and no one else was sitting waiting on news of a loved one. Steve had been hurried into an examination room and was being tended to. Slouching down in the seat, Danny waited for the rest of the team to arrive. Fifteen minutes the three others joined him in the room.

"You used the lights and sirens, didn't you?" he grinned at them.

"Of course," Kono quipped. "It is no fun otherwise. Any word yet?"

"No….too soon."

Moments later as they were all trying to get comfortable and wait for word on their leader, the sound of determined footsteps from the hallway announced the Governor's arrival. Danny shook his head wearily.

"Now I have to explain why I didn't call and brief him," he groaned softly.

"You did call him brah," Chin answered just as softly from the seat opposite him. "I phoned a report into his office on the way here. I left word that you were on the way to the hospital and we had caught the bad guys."

"Thanks Chin," Danny said gratefully and got to his feet to greet the new arrival in the room. "Governor Denning, we have arrested Santos Arantes' men and confiscated a large supply of cocaine they had ready for distribution. Arantes was killed during the seizure," he reported, sure that was what the man wanted to hear.

Denning came to a halt in front of Danny and quickly glanced around at the other three people in the waiting room before focusing on the man before him. His two assistants remained waiting at the doorway.

"You found Commander McGarrett alive?" he asked, wanting to confirm the information he had received from HPD.

"Yes sir," Danny nodded. "In fact, Steve is the one who killed Arantes." He couldn't disguise the pride in his voice with that statement.

One of Denning's eyebrows rose in surprise with that information which had not been included in the report he had been given.

"And how is Commander McGarrett?"

"They are treating him now. He was badly beaten and stabbed twice," Danny responded, his eyes turning to glance at the ER doors in concern.

"I want to speak to him as soon as possible," Denning said firmly.

"I….uh…..he was in pretty rough shape when we got here….."Danny began protectively.

"Relax Detective, I only want to express my regret that the assignment that I gave your team resulted in his ordeal. I am impressed with how quickly you resolved this situation and with no harm to any innocent citizens," the Governor explained. "I assure you that I will not add to his injuries." A very small smile flickered across the big man's face.

"Yes sir," Danny nodded quickly, an answering smile creasing his tired face. "I am sure we will hear something soon."

"Indeed you will," came a voice from the ER doorway. All eyes swung over to a tall woman in a white lab coat. Her ID tag indentified her as Dr. C. Jordan. "We will be keeping the Commander overnight."

End chapter.

**So we have Steve safely deposited in the hospital. I felt I needed to make the Governor acknowledge that Steve had gone through a rough time of things and I couldn't make him a complete insensitive guy. Hope you enjoyed it…..just some wrap up to do now. Thanks for reading.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I make no profit…yada, yada, yada…..**

**Thank you so much for the reviews and support you have given me. I love hearing from you, it helps inspire me.**

Chapter 17

"Is there some problem Doctor? Why are you keeping him overnight?" Danny asked, worry lacing his voice.

"Nothing serious Det. Williams. I'm not completely happy with the chest sounds on the Commander's right side. I just want him monitored overnight to be sure his lung is not compromised. I assured Commander McGarrett he would most likely be released in the morning," Dr. Clarice Jordan replied.

"And he's okay with this?" Kono asked in surprise.

"The Commander was the wisdom in my recommendation," the woman answered, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Especially after I threatened to insert a chest tube just to be safe."

"Ouch," Chin groaned.

"I do love your style Doc," Danny laughed.

"Having dealt with the Commander in the past, I know how to handle him," the ER doctor replied. She looked at the Governor. "Governor Denning, it will only be a few moments until the Commander is settled in his room. I will send a nurse's aide when you can see him."

"Thank you Dr. Jordan," Denning said and took a seat. Dr. Jordan nodded to the others and left the room. The Governor found his attention drawn to Joe, who was sitting two chairs away.

"I meant to ask this earlier Commander White, why are you involved in this situation?" Denning enquired curiously.

"I'm Steve's friend," Joe said simply.

"I called him in sir. When Steve was first taken we thought someone other than Arantes might have engineered the abduction," Danny said quickly.

"You mean the mysterious Wo Fat, I presume," Denning stated.

"Yes sir," Danny agreed.

"I have not forgotten your recent adventure in Korea. Agent Weston filled me in on the details of that business," Denning said gruffly. "I must admit that he was the first person I thought of when Commander McGarrett disappeared."

"And he is still a threat," Joe said grimly.

Denning didn't answer but thoughtfully considered what he had learned over the last few days. It appeared that Steve McGarrett had more threats to deal with than just keeping the peace in Hawaii. And clearly his enemies took some extreme measures to get what they wanted. Perhaps he needed to give McGarrett some leeway when dealing with his opponents, after all 5-0 had an amazing record of successful results.

Moments later a nurse's aide came and led them to Steve McGarrett's room. Danny stepped back to let the Governor lead the way into the room.

Denning swept into the room and stopped dead a few feet in when he got a good look at his task force leader. The man's face was bruised and swollen, his left eye completely closed. White bandages were wrapped around his chest and where skin could be seen, dark bruising could be seen and both wrists were covered with white gauze. With a quick swallow, Denning resumed his walk to the bed. Steve looked at him in surprise through his one good eye.

"Governor….."

"Relax Commander, I'm here to see for myself that you will be okay," Denning said hurriedly. "I am truly sorry you were kidnapped in the course of doing a job I assigned you to. And I am relieved your team found you in time."

"Thank you sir," Steve said looking slightly confused.

"Hey big guy, looks like you get to spend the night and recover under doctor's supervision," Danny said moving closer and going to the opposite side of the bed from the Governor. He wanted to give Steve some time to digest what the Governor had said. Chin, Kono and Joe followed him as Steve turned his head to get a better view of his team with his good eye.

"I could go home," he argued.

"Not according to Dr. Jordan," Chin chuckled at the frown that crossed Steve's face.

"Just rest Boss," Kono urged.

"Danny, what is the status on Michael Tremain?" Steve suddenly changed the subject.

"His father insisted he return to New York. A Federal Marshal and a State Department official escorted him back east," Denning answered before Danny could respond.

"But…..we still have Paul Martine in custody. Downing paid him to send you out onto that beach," Danny finished filling him in. "We also have Ms. Keawe, otherwise known as Sheila Keone. She was hired to get Michael alone to be snatched before Downing took Arantes' contract on you."

"I need to see Downing," Steve insisted.

"You will Commander," Denning spoke up. "Your testimony will make sure he goes away for a long time. I want you to take all the time you need to recover before coming back to 5-0." He turned his attention to the rest of the team. "Good work, all of you," he added.

"I will sir, thank you sir," Steve said as Denning turned and left.

"I think he is mellowing," Danny grinned after the Governor left the room.

"I think the man is realizing a special task force needs different rules," Chin observed.

Joe moved around the foot of the bed to be on Steve's good eye side and studied his young friend. He hated seeing the beating his best friend's son had endured. Once again he had been unable to protect him and guilt washed over him for the rift that had grown between them.

"How are you feeling son?" he asked.

"I'm good, I'll be fine," Steve assured him quickly. He could see the concern in his mentor's eyes. Past difficulties between them were not important at this moment. It was good to see Joe there. "After a good night's sleep I'll be good to go."

"Sure you will Superman," Danny laughed. "We'll see how chipper you feel when the meds wear off. You rest and I'll be back in the morning to check on you."

"Just show up early to give me a ride," Steve instructed.

"You heard the man," Danny said to the others, gleefully rubbing his hands together. "He actually has stated that I can drive…..my own car. Will miracles never cease?"

The others laughed as Steve rolled his one good eye.

"Very funny Danny," he said dryly. A small yawn escaped him before he could cover it. "Just come and get me in the morning."

"As long as the doctors clear you to leave. Otherwise you stay put," Danny responded, catching how tired Steve was.

"Yea Boss, no trying to sneak out early," Kono told him.

"We won't let that happen," a bright voice joined the conversation from the doorway. A pretty, young Hawaiian woman stood there smiling at the group. Her dark eyes turned to Steve and a rush of concern flashed over her face. "Oh Commander McGarrett, I'm so sorry you are back with us."

Kono noticed her ID tag indentified her as Nani Awana: nurse's aide.

"We know you…right?" she asked, sure she had seen the aide before.

"I took care of Commander McGarrett when his leg was broken," the girl nodded. She couldn't wait to tell Taralyn and Susan that her favorite patient was back.

"Take good care of him Nani and don't let him escape," Danny said with a chuckle. "Be a good boy Steven and I will see you tomorrow."

"Just be on time Danno," Steve called as the group left him alone with the nurse's aide after saying goodbye. They could all see how Steve had been tiring.

*H 5-0*

Pulling up in front of the hospital at 8:10 the next morning, Danny found Steve waiting outside, leaning against the wall.

"Do they know you are missing?" Danny asked suspiciously as he got out of the Camaro.

"I am not missing. I am officially discharged," Steve replied waving several pieces of paper in the air. "Signed by real doctors too. Dr. Jordan even stopped by and gave me her official approval. I am good to go."

"Give me those," Danny demanded and snatched the paperwork from Steve as his partner moved towards the car. Quickly scanning the paperwork, he had to agree that it all looked legitimate. Steve appeared more alert and a lot better in spite of the colorful array of bruises on his face. And his eye was better as well, the swelling had gone down and he now had limited use of it.

"Are we headed to your place?" Danny asked.

"Just long enough to change clothes," Steve said tugging at the scrubs top he wore. The hospital had also provided him with slippers to put on his bare feet.

"I am sure there are instructions to rest somewhere in here," Danny said waving the paperwork in the air as he came around the Camaro to the driver's side.

"After I see Downing," Steve stubbornly insisted.

"Okay, you see Downing, and then you rest. Governor's orders," Danny stated firmly.

"Thanks Danny. Let's get going," Steve said buckling his seat belt.

End chapter.

**Thank you all for reading. I just need to tie up some loose ends and this one is finished. I appreciate all the comments you give me…it feeds my review addiction.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I am so excited to see the final episodes of the season.**

**Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews. And thank you also for ignoring the few typos that seem to get past my double checks and re-reads before posting. So here is the final chapter, I hope you enjoyed my story.**

Chapter 18

As Danny pulled away from the hospital, he glanced over at Steve sitting quietly in the passenger seat.

"How are you really feeling babe?" he asked.

"Good," Steve stated. He turned towards Danny to see him clearer with his good eye. "Okay…..I've felt better but I will be okay Danny. Just get me to Downing, we have unfinished business."

"I get that. In fact I will be thrilled to see you confront Mr. Nicholas Downing, esquire. He was one smug bastard when we caught up with him. Then Joe happened to mention that several countries would love to get their hands on him and he cracked."

A big smile creased Steve's battered face.

"I bet that scared the shit out of him," he laughed.

"He sang like a bird," Danny confirmed. "Unfortunately he made no effort to learn about his buyers. He couldn't tell us where Arantes took you."

"So how did you find me?" Steve asked curiously.

"We noticed the grey Suburban leaving Downing's rental just as we arrived," Danny told him. "When it didn't get stopped by a roadblock and with some info from Kamekona, we narrowed the search area. And then Kono found the recent purchase of that property and we put it all together. Chin coordinated with HPD and we moved in."

"Thanks man that was good work."

"You would have done the same for any of us," Danny answered. "Just wish that we had seen Arantes coming in the first place."

"Yea…but we had no idea that the Alverez brothers would come back to haunt us. Thanks for not giving up on me."

"No problem buddy. It's what we do," Danny said brushing off the thanks.

Steve fell silent, staring out the side window. He understood the difficulty that tracking his kidnappers had presented. He was impressed with just how good his team was and grateful they had sorted through the information so quickly. He was aware that even with the gun; he would have had difficulties getting the better of all of Arantes' men. Not with the wounds he had suffered. He would never take his ohana for granted again.

Once at Steve's home, Danny waited downstairs as his partner went upstairs to change. He had not failed to notice that Steve wasn't moving as fast as normal and he promised himself that he trip out to Halawa was the only work his partner would do today.

When Steve came downstairs fastening his holster to his leg, Danny jumped to his feet. With a dark blue button down shirt open over a white T-shirt and his ever present cargo pants, Steve looked more like his old self and not a recent victim. He paused at a nearby chest of drawers and removed a spare SIG from the top drawer.

"Here, you're going to need these," Danny said holding out Steve's wallet and badge. "HPD found them when they searched Downing's belongings. " He reached into a pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "Kono programmed a new one for you. Keep breaking these and she'll be able to do it with her eyes closed."

"Thanks Danny," Steve said with a small smile. His right hand unconsciously adjusted his weapon after pocketing the phone as if reassuring himself that he was ready to face the world. "Let's go."

"Are you sure you don't want to take a few minutes? Eat something; catch your breath…something?" Danny asked.

"I ate at the hospital," Steve said shortly. "Quit stalling, Downing is in Halawa, correct?"

"Yes he is. All right big guy, if you're sure about this, then we go," Danny gave in. "I let Halawa know we're coming, they'll have Nicky boy waiting for us." He headed out with Steve right on his heels.

As they drove towards the prison, Danny kept stealing curious glances at his silent partner. McGarrett was staring straight ahead, not paying any attention to the passing scenery and appeared lost in thought.

"What's bugging you Danny?" Steve finally asked as Danny had shot another look his way. He continued to stare forward.

"How….?" Danny began, figuring Steve's swollen left eye hadn't been able to see him.

"I am capable of seeing out of this eye," Steve smirked and turned his head to face Danny fully. "So what is bothering you?"

"I know that Downing kidnapped you, Joe and I saw the room he held you in. We've arrested him but you are so insistent on seeing him right now…did he do something to you I should know about?" Danny asked, not really sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Other than drugging me and confining me to that chair, Downing didn't do anything physically to me," Steve admitted slowly. "This might be difficult to understand but while Arantes beat and stabbed me, I do understand what was driving him. To him it was personal, family revenge and all that. I get it and I dealt with him." McGarrett paused, taking a few moments to find the right words. "Now Downing was driven solely by greed. He was completely aware that the people he grabs and sells are very likely going to die and he doesn't care. He purposely shields himself from even knowing who his buyers are. I have to see him face to face and tell him it is over. I will make sure he never takes a free breath again," he finished in a voice tight with anger.

Danny quickly jerked his gaze back to the road before him. The pain and anger in Steve's voice had robbed him of any response at the moment. A few minutes later he swallowed and nodded.

"I hope you shake that smug British creep's world to pieces," he growled. "Would you like for me to arrange some time alone with him?"

A dry chuckle escaped Steve as he shook his head.

"That is very tempting Danny but I'm not going to lay a finger on the man. I don't want anything to damage the court case we have against him. Nicholas Downing is going to rot in jail just as I promised him he would. I only need to see his face when he realizes I'm still alive."

"Good for you Steven," Danny approved his spirits lifting. Personally he could wait to see the cool British kidnapper learn his chance at freedom was gone for good.

At Halawa, they were escorted to a private interrogation room where a guard waited with Downing. This time going through the various locked doors was easier for Danny with Steve walking confidently by his side. At the room, Steve sent Danny in ahead of him as he waited just outside.

"Mr. Downing, how are you finding Hawaiian hospitality?" Danny greeted the man in the ill-fitting orange jumpsuit seated in the middle of the room.

"Don't gloat Detective. My lawyer says that I can beat these charges easily," the Brit said confidently. "You have nothing."

"You think so Downing?" Steve asked, entering the room. He took great pleasure in seeing the color drain from the cocky man's face. "I think you should make yourself comfortable here because it's going to be home for a very long time. That is if the State Department doesn't give in to any extradition requests. After all Hawaii doesn't have the death penalty," he finished with a cold smile.

Downing looked ready to faint and was unable to speak.

"I think Mr. Downing looks a little ill Steven," Danny observed.

"Good, now he knows exactly how all his victims felt. Downing, I told you I would shut the door to your cell and that is what I will do with my testimony," Steve said moving in and leaning down to stare in the man's eyes. "You are done. You will never trade in human lives again." With disgust written all over his face, Steve straightened and turned away. "I'm done here Danno." He left the room.

Danny waited long enough to enjoy the sight of Downing collapsing in his chair before hurrying after McGarrett who never looked back.

*H 5-0*

Danny managed to convince Steve that he should take the rest of the day off and delivered him home. To make sure Steve followed orders, he stayed with him and tried to distract him. Late afternoon, Joe, Kono, Chin and Malia arrived with all the makings for dinner. Chin fired up the grill and Joe distributed the cold beer. They all agreed it was great to see Steve smile and laugh after what he had endured the last few days.

With the sun beginning to set, everyone but Danny said goodbye and headed home. Danny grabbed two beers and joined Steve at the wooden chairs out on the beach.

"All in all …a very good day," Danny said handing Steve a bottle.

"Yes, it was," Steve agreed.

"You know, I've been thinking. It might be a good idea if you take a few days of R & R; you know…..just to recover a bit. If anything big breaks I swear we'll call you. Just give yourself time to heal babe," Danny suggested quietly.

"I'll be…."

"Fine, I get it but Steven; there is no shame in giving your body some recovery time. You are 5-0's leader, we won't work without you, I promise," the Jersey native assured him holding one hand up.

"You could be right," Steve finally agreed. "I could follow some leads on Shelburne."

"I was thinking more like you could work on that hunk of junk in your garage," Danny corrected. "Don't play with fire, let Shelburne sit for a bit, and then try talking to Joe again."

"Okay Mother," Steve grinned.

"Don't be stupid Steven," Danny warned, knowing Steve would do as he pleased anyway. "You do have friends to rely on. Even SEALs work in teams."

"You are right," McGarrett answered soberly. "And my team is the best." He tilted his bottle towards Danny who tapped it with his own before taking a sip. Both men settled back to watch the sunset.

End story.

**So we have reached the end of another adventure. I have no idea if the muse will get inspired again but I do hope that the final couple of episodes might shake something loose. Thank you for taking this journey with me, I have really appreciated all the kind things you have said about my story. Thank you.**


End file.
